In 1948 the Korean Peninsula was divided between a Soviet-backed government in the north and an American-backed government in the south. War seemed inevitable, and in 1950, North Korea, with the support of the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea. The United States, under the Truman administration, led a United Nations coalition to support South Korea. The conflict quickly escalated into a full-scale war, with Chinese troops joining the fray in support of North Korea.
The most important legacy of the first Sino-American War is the enduring division of the Korean Peninsula. Following the exhaustion of the war, a demilitarized zone was established along the 38th parallel, separating North and South Korea. This division has persisted for over seven decades, shaping the geopolitics of East Asia.
China's leading historian of the Korean War, Shen Zhihua, explains how Stalin and Mao saw the conflict on the Korean Peninsula and the strategic calculations that led China to intervene. For Mao Zedong, the war presented an opportunity to demonstrate China's commitment to global revolution and to establish itself as a major power in the post-World War II world order.
A few months after Taiwanese NGO worker Cynthia Iunn bought a book titled If China Attacks from a Taiwanese bookstore in February, tensions escalated on the Korean Peninsula as Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River to push back UN forces. The Chinese intervention changed the course of the war, leading to a stalemate that persists to this day.
The Cold War conflict was a civil war that became a proxy battle between the superpowers as they clashed over communism and democracy. China's involvement in the Korean War was a strategic decision aimed at countering American influence in the region and consolidating its position as a global power.
Late last September, I moderated a discussion about North Korea with retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis, whose 37-year military career provided insights into the complexities of the Korean War and its lasting impact on international relations. The war highlighted the dangers of great power competition and the need for diplomatic solutions to prevent future conflicts.
Dr. Rana Mitter depicts how China held a critical role in the Pacific theater during the war as a key ally for the United States. The war's end, however, marked a shift in Sino-American relations as China and the US found themselves on opposite sides of the Cold War divide.
The government in Beijing is becoming more reclusive than ever — and that's bad for everyone, not only China. As China's influence grows in the region, its actions in the Korean War continue to shape its foreign policy and military strategy in the 21st century.
