China as a Global Power 1976-97

Question 1

When did the Vietnam War end, and what was the outcome?

Answer 1

The Vietnam War ended in April of 1975, with the communist forces reuniting Vietnam, with close ties with the USSR.

Question 2

Who were the Khmer Rouge (2)?

Answer 2

1) The Communist Party of Cambodia, led by Pol Pot.
2) During their 4 years in power (1975-79), they were responsible for 2-3 million deaths, due to failed economic policies, and executions of intellectuals, opponents, ethnic groups and religious followers.

Question 3

How and when did the Khmer Rouge take power in Cambodia?

Answer 3

They took power in 1975, after a guerrilla campaign. They established the new Democratic Republic of Kampuchea, and allied itself with China.

Question 4

When did Vietnam invade Cambodia to overthrow the Khmer Rouge?

Answer 4

December 1978.

Question 5

How did Sino-Vietnamese relations worsen in 1978 (3)?

Answer 5

1) The PRC were uncomfortable with having a close ally of the USSR on their southern flank, especially after the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in December 1978.
2) Border disputes resulted in a number of armed clashes.
3) The PRC government complained that ethnic Chinese people living in Vietnam were being persecuted.

Question 6

When did China invade Vietnam, what was the outcome, and why?

Answer 6

China invaded Vietnam in February 1979, with a large PLA force crossing the border and advancing towards Hanoi. The PLA faced problems in supplying its forces, with inefficient communication between units, and an inability to use the airforce effectively. The PLA suffered heavy casualties, beginning withdrawal from Vietnam in March, having achieved nothing.

Question 7

What was the key chronology of Chinese international affairs 1978-97 (7)?

Answer 7

1) 1978: Trade agreement with Japan.
2) 1979: Chinese invasion of Vietnam.
3) 1984: Deng announces the ‘One country, two systems’ formula.
4) 1984: Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong.
5) 1986: Trade agreement with the USSR.
6) 1989: Gorbachev visits China.
7) 1997: Hong Kong returned to China.

Question 8

Why were Sino-Soviet relations damaged in the 1970s - early 80s (3)?

Answer 8

1) Disagreements over Vietnam and Cambodia in the early 1980s.
2) The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 caused tensions, with USA and China supporting the Afghan resistance to the Soviet occupation.
3) The border clashes of 1969 had still not been resolved, and China objected to the presence of Soviet troops in Mongolia.

Question 9

How did Sino-Soviet relations improve in the 1980s and 1990s (4)?

Answer 9

1) The change of leadership in China in 1978, and changes to the leadership in the USSR in 1982, paved the way for a renewal of diplomatic contacts.
2) The signing of a trade agreement in 1986.
3) Gorbachev’s visit to China in 1989.
4) The collapse of the USSR in 1991 improved relations.

Question 10

What is the Third World?

Answer 10

A term coined in the Cold War for large numbers of developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America who did not align themselves with the First World (USA and NATO) or the Second World (USSR and the Warsaw Pact). China had tried to take the lead of the Third World since the 1950s.

Question 11

What is hegemonism?

Answer 11

Dominance of one state over others.

Question 12

Who are the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council, and what power did these countries have?

Answer 12

The 5 permanent members of the UN have the power to veto any resolution brought before the Security Council. Both the USA and the USSR used this to defend their allies/protect their interests. The 5 members are:
1) USA.
2) Russia (formerly USSR).
3) Great Britain.
4) France.
5) China.

Question 13

How involved were the PRC in the ‘peacekeeping’ efforts of the UN in 1970s, compared to the 1980s.

Answer 13

In the 1970s, the PRC regarded the peacekeeping efforts as an excuse for the superpowers to meddle in the international affairs of other states, whilst upholding the principle of non-intervention. In the 1980s, the PRC shifted towards supporting, not participating in, peacekeeping efforts.

Question 14

When did the PRC join the UN?

Answer 14

October 1972.

Question 15

What was the Chinese policy on intervention in the Gulf War?

Answer 15

After Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Britain and the USA led efforts at the UN to build an international coalition to intervene on the side of Kuwait. The Chinese position was that, whilst condemning the invasion, it should be for the Arab states to intervene. The PRC abstained on the UN resolution that authorised the Gulf War in 1991 to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Question 16

When was the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank established, and why?

Answer 16

Both were established in 1945, in order to bring stability to the international financial system, and avoid the problems that had led to the depression of the 1930s.

Question 17

When did the PRC take the seats on the IMF and World Bank from the GMD, and why did it take so long?

Answer 17

As the nationalist Republic of China had been a founding member of the bodies, even after the defeat of the GMD in 1949, the GMD government in Taiwan held the Chinese seats on the governing bodies. The PRC took over the seats in 1980.

Question 18

How did the IMF support the Chinese economy in the 1980s and 90s (2)?

Answer 18

1) The IMF lent China money in 1981 and 1986, with both loans fully repaid.
2) During the 1980s and 1990s, the IMF provided advice and technical assistance to the Chinese for the modernisation programme.

Question 19

When did the PRC re-establish diplomatic relations with Japan?

Answer 19

1972.

Question 20

What was the state of the Japanese economy in the 1970s (2)?

Answer 20

1) The most successful Asian economy.
2) One of the worlds leading exporters of manufactured goods.

Question 21

When did China and Japan sign a trade agreement?

Answer 21

1978.

Question 22

What was the state of Sino-Japanese relations in the 1980s-90s (3)?

Answer 22

1) Hu Yaobang visited Japan in 1983, helping the growing friendship.
2) Although there was friction over the ownership of a number of offshore islands, there was cooperation on oil drilling rights in the North China Sea.
3) By the 1990s, Japan was the biggest export market for Chinese goods.

Question 23

When did Deng Xiaoping visit the USA?

Answer 23

January - February 1979.

Question 24

How did the USA support China after 1979 (3)?

Answer 24

1) Educational and cultural exchanges.
2) In 1979, the USA supplied China with intelligence information about the USSR’s intentions during the Chinese invasion of Vietnam.
3) The USA supplied China with ‘non-lethal’ military equipment, and helped China to develop its nuclear power programme.

Question 25

What were the 2 main sources of tension between the PRC and the USA from 1979 onwards?

Answer 25

1) The status of Taiwan.
2) American criticism of China’s human rights record.

Question 26

What was Deng Xiaoping’s ‘One country, two systems’ formula?

Answer 26

China wanted Taiwan to be re-unified with mainland China, and Deng’s formula was an attempt to reassure the Taiwanese that they had nothing to fear from reunification.
‘When we speak of two systems, it is because the main part of China is practicing socialism. It is under this prerequisite that we allow capitalism to remain in a small part of our country. This will help develop our socialist economy’.

Question 27

How did the subject of Taiwan cause tension between the PRC and the USA 1979-97 (4)?

Answer 27

1) In response to Taiwanese objections to the US establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 1979, the USA introduced the Taiwan Relations Act. This reaffirmed the USA’s commitment to defending the independence of Taiwan.
2) The USA continued to supply weapons and aircrafts to Taiwan.
3) China would not compromise over the demand of the re-unification of Taiwan with mainland China. In 1984, Deng attempted to assure the Taiwanese with his ‘One country, two systems’ formula.
4) In 1996, China increased pressure on Taiwan by holding large-scale military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, and the USA responded by sending extra warships to the region. By 1997, the tension had eased.

Question 28

What is a sanction?

Answer 28

A means of punishing a country for actions or policies of which a country disapproves. Sanctions can include a withdrawal of trade or the withdrawal of diplomatic co-operation.

Question 29

How did China’s human rights records cause tension between the PRC and the USA (3)?

Answer 29

1) Although the Chinese could not ignore their international reputation at a time when they were seeking economic co-operation, they were not willing to allow interference in their internal affairs.
2) American governments of the period were under domestic pressure to criticise Chinese treatment of democracy activists.
3) The West condemned the suppression of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989, with a brief suspension of military equipment sales to China by the USA, but no comprehensive sanctions. But by 1991, full trading links had been restored.

Question 30

How and when did Britain take Hong Kong and Kowloon from China (2)?

Answer 30

1) The 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, which ended the Opium War, gave Britain permanent ownership of Hong Kong.
2) In 1860, following another successful war against China, Kowloon Harbour on the Chinese mainland was added to Hong Kong island. In 1898, Britain took over the rest of the Kowloon peninsula - the New Territories, but only on a 99 year lease (due to expire in 1997).

Question 31

What is Macau, and how did China regain control of it from Portugal?

Answer 31

Macau is an island, close to Hong Kong, which had been under Portuguese control since the 16th century. Negotiations on Macau’s future resulted in an agreement in 1987, and China took full control over Macau in 1999.

Question 32

What was the economic significance of Hong Kong 1949-90s (2)?

Answer 32

1) During the 20th century, Hong Kong developed into a thriving industrial, commercial and financial centre. Many Chinese businessmen left China to Hong Kong in 1949.
2) Deng opened one of his first SEZs in Shenzhen, immediately north of Hong Kong. The Open Door Policy allowed cross-border trade and investment in Chinese businesses by Hong Kong financiers.

Question 33

What was the Sino-British Joint Declaration (3)?

Answer 33

1) Hong Kong would be returned to China in 1997.
2) China would treat Hong Kong differently to other parts of China. Under the ‘One country, two systems’ formula, Hong Kong would keep its capitalist system, and it would have a degree of administrative autonomy.
3) It was signed in 1984.

Question 34

When was Hong Kong returned to China?

Answer 34

1 July 1997.