At the end of the 60s of the last century, the international situation changed, and Sino-DPRK relations fell into an unprecedented turmoil. At that time, a war on the verge of breaking out threatened friendly cooperation between the two countries. Fortunately, with the wisdom and decisiveness of *** and ***, this crisis was defused. But how did this once-friendly friendship between China and North Korea turn into a conflict in just 20 years?
The beginning of the story is that in the late 60s of the last century, North Korea stopped using the hospitals built with Chinese assistance, and even smeared Chinese history, which made Sino-North Korean relations begin to strain. The situation was particularly severe in 1969, when the border between China and North Korea was tense, and the North Korean army was even pressed on the border, and war was on the verge of breaking out. North Korea's hostility to China stems from its choice to side with the Soviet Union. In the past, Sino-Soviet friendship was at the peak of the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but during the Korean War, the Soviet Union chose to support China, a move that made North Korea feel betrayed.
With the death of Stalin, Sino-Soviet relations deteriorated sharply, and Khrushchev denied Stalin and had disagreements with ***. The Soviet Union's attempt to usurp China's sovereignty deepened the contradictions between the two countries. By 1960, the Soviet Union had withdrawn its aid to China in an attempt to force China into submission, which led to China's economic woes. And throughout the 60s, China faced not only the blockade of the United States, but also the Soviet threat from the north and the provocations of the DPRK.
Against the backdrop of the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations, Sino-DPRK relations have faced a huge test. The DPRK was a close partner of China in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and China provided a large amount of assistance, including the contribution of volunteer soldiers, the retention of labor, and the construction of infrastructure, showing the sincere friendship between the two countries. Over time, however, North Korea has come to take China's aid for granted and has even begun to dislike China.
At a time when China and the Soviet Union were at loggerheads, the DPRK and China stood on the front line against the Soviet Union and jointly resisted Soviet revisionism. Despite China's huge concessions, North Korea has gradually become cold and even hostile to China based on its own interests. After Khrushchev came to power, the attitude of the DPRK towards the Soviet Union changed somewhat and began to cooperate closely with the Soviet Union, which plunged Sino-DPRK relations into unprecedented difficulties. North Korean leader Kim Il Sung has publicly accused China of undermining the unity of the socialist camp and removing bridges that symbolize friendship between the two countries, further deteriorating relations between the two countries.
North Korea is increasingly focusing on its own interests and is hesitant. It chose to side with the Soviet Union, deepening its hostility with China. In 1969, the Sino-Soviet conflict over Zhenbao Island plunged Sino-North Korean relations into a state of tension, and the Soviet Union even encouraged North Korea to provoke China. North Korea has tried to threaten China with heated rhetoric on the border, cutting down trees and building bunkers. However, this provocation did not cause an overreaction from China.
As relations between China and North Korea became strained, North Korea used China's crossing of the Tumen River as an excuse to unilaterally detain Chinese ships and crew members and ram Chinese ships indiscriminately, leading to an unprecedented conflict between the two countries on the river. In the Cold War environment of hostilities between China and the Soviet Union and tense relations between China and North Korea, the geopolitical situation around China has become more complex and faces multiple threats.
In addition to the conflict with North Korea, China has to deal with provocations from other countries. The south side needs to guard against the Kuomintang **, the southwest border may be subject to India's unfriendly behavior, and at the same time, it is also necessary to pay attention to Cambodia, which has just established diplomatic relations with the United States in the southeast. This situation has brought great trouble to China's development.
In order to get out of this predicament and find a way out for China's future development, the leaders of ** and *** decided to continue to enlist the support of the DPRK, hoping that the DPRK can change its hostility towards China and find a turning point for the relations between the two countries.
Despite the tensions between China and North Korea, China takes the agreement with North Korea seriously and continues to provide assistance. However, the DPRK has not changed its hostility towards China, and they are still threatening to "attack China" on the border between China and North Korea.
Until an incident occurred, which brought a turning point for the improvement of Sino-DPRK relations. This is despite the fact that North Korea has been provoking China and has taken drastic actions against the United States and South Korea. For South Korea, North Korea sent special forces to attack the South Korean government. As for the United States, North Korea even shot down an American plane, resulting in the death of a large number of American soldiers, which aroused strong anger in the United States and plunged Sino-DPRK relations and US-DPRK relations into an even more tense situation. This incident seems to have become an opportunity for the improvement of relations between China and North Korea.
Against the backdrop of the warning of war from the United States**Nixon, North Korea took drastic action, which provoked a strong reaction from the United States. Kim Il Sung's actions not only strengthened the US military presence in Northeast Asia, but also looked forward to the support of the Soviet Union. However, the Soviet Union did not fulfill its promises and only paid lip service to North Korea, leaving it in international embarrassment and isolation.
At the same time, China, despite tensions with North Korea, continues to provide practical assistance. North Korea realized that turning to the Soviet Union and hostile to China might not be a wise choice. The DPRK decided to take advantage of Ho Chi Minh's funeral and sent a delegation to request a meeting while transiting in Beijing and expressed Kim Il Sung's desire to improve relations between China and North Korea. This move marks a turning point in China-North Korea relations.
In the face of the DPRK's initiative to show goodwill, ** and *** realized the importance of China-DPRK relations, so they put aside their previous suspicions, extended a friendly hand to the DPRK, and publicly condemned the US military threat, so that China-DPRK relations could be repaired. In 1970, he personally visited the DPRK and paid tribute to the martyrs of the volunteers who sacrificed their lives for China in the DPRK with Kim Il Sung and other leaders, pushing China-DPRK relations to a new stage.
Since then, the friendship between China and the DPRK has continued to this day. However, we must bear in mind that there are no eternal friends between nations, only eternal interests.
The friendship between the DPRK and China is the aspiration of the Chinese and DPRK peoples. This period of history tells us that solidarity and cooperation are the fundamental way to solve problems. Let us work together to cherish and protect our friendship, so that China-DPRK relations can usher in a better tomorrow in the midst of difficulties.
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