In 1945, both China and Japan were exhausted, although Japan occupied a large territory, but the supply had been cut off, and the Communist Party and the Kuomintang were stubbornly resisting on the two battlefields, but the direction of the war was unclear. The people** urgently need more aid and support to continue the war effort. The Soviet Union had an intention to help, but put forward the conditions for the realization of *** in order to establish a buffer zone between China and the Soviet Union. The news sparked outrage at home and was seen as a condition.
Despite the strong opposition of the public, the final conditions were accepted, the Soviet Union came to China's aid, and the Treaty of Yalta was reached. Therefore, to this day, many people blame Chiang Ching-kuo, believing that he failed to protect the country's bottom line when negotiating with the Soviet Union on behalf of Chiang Kai-shek, which led to the abandonment of Outer Mongolia. However, what is the truth?Is Chiang Ching-kuo responsible for all the incidents?
Before Chiang Ching-kuo went to the Soviet Union, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain had signed the "Yalta Agreement", which stipulated that the Soviet Union would assist China and station in the northeast after resolving the German problem, but only if it was allowed to go outsideFirst, the Soviet Union saw Outer Mongolia as a strategic barrier against Chinese or American threats to Siberia and the Far East. A huge buffer zone was formed, which protected the development of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union, which had suffered heavy losses in World War II, needed to rebuild its national strength and defense capabilities, and was unwilling to relinquish control of Outer Mongolia. Second, the Soviet Union had special political, economic, military, and cultural interests in Outer Mongolia, and by supporting Outer Mongolia, the Soviet Union controlled the resources, markets, and population of the region, expanding its influence. They established garrisons, advisers, educational, and medical institutions in Outer Mongolia, making it a vassal state of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union used Outer Mongolia as a platform to disseminate socialist ideas and models to China in order to influence China's political development.
Foreign affairs were of great strategic importance to the Soviet Union, as it helped to contain Japanese aggression in Inner Mongolia and Manchuria and to compete with Japanese dominance in East Asia. In August 1945, the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan, occupied Japanese territories in Manchuria, Korea, and Sakhalin, and clashed with Japan such as the Nomenkan Incident. By supporting foreign countries, the Soviet Union attempted to enhance its voice and influence in East Asia.
In June 1945, Chiang Ching-kuo, as Chiang Kai-shek's personal representative, went to the Soviet Union with the Chinese delegation to negotiate the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance with Stalin. One of the focal points of the negotiations was the question of the ownership of Outer Mongolia. China insisted that Outer Mongolia was Chinese territory, while the Soviet Union demanded that China recognize the independence of Outer Mongolia. During the negotiations, Stalin took a hard line and threatened that if China did not accept his terms, the Soviet Union would support the CCP in overthrowing the Kuomintang**.
Soong and Chiang Ching-kuo retorted that if China lost Outer Mongolia, what would be the point of the War of Resistance, and the people would not be able to forgive them. They also offered to reclaim sovereignty over Dalian, Vladivostok, Sakhalin Islands, and other places in exchange. Chiang Ching-kuo tried to meet with Stalin in a private capacity and persuaded Stalin to abandon his demands to foreign countries, but Stalin still insisted that Outer Mongolia was a strategic barrier for the Soviet Union and could not be returned to China. As a result, the parties quarreled fiercely on this issue, which led to several forced interruptions in negotiations.
The Kuomintang went to the Soviet Union for negotiations this time, but the goal it originally hoped to achieve was not achieved, and instead led to foreign affairs becoming the basic premise of the negotiations. Upon learning of the situation, Chiang Kai-shek immediately sent a telegram to Soong Ziwen and Chiang Ching-kuo, indicating that he could accept foreign affairs but demanded that the status of the three eastern provinces be guaranteed, and that the Soviet Union stop supporting the CCP. Soong Ziwen conveyed Chiang Kai-shek's idea to Stalin the next day, and the Soviet Union quickly agreed to this condition, agreeing not to invade the territory of the three northeastern provinces after the outside world, and to stop supporting the Communists.
The whole negotiation process finally led to the official announcement of the Kuomintang on January 5, 1946, and the negotiation was actually no longer a question of whether Outer Mongolia could become independent, but how much benefit the Kuomintang could gain from it under the premise of external independence. Looking back at the whole negotiation struggle, Chiang Ching-kuo could not be completely put to blame, because at that time China needed the help of the Soviet Union to end the war as soon as possible, and the Kuomintang did not seem to oppose the cession of territory, but hoped to use it as a bargaining chip to exert pressure.
Chiang Ching-kuo's position within the Kuomintang was equivalent to that of Chiang Kai-shek's spokesman, and his ability to make independent decisions was limited, so it was unrealistic to completely hold him fully responsible.