March 2 - Sino-Soviet Border Conflict

This Day in History: 2 March 2020

 

2 March 1969

 

51 years ago, today, forces from the Soviet Union and China clashed when they fired on one another at a border outpost on the Ussuri River, in the eastern region of the USSR. The cause of the standoff between the countries was a matter of dispute, as the Soviets claimed that Chinese soldiers had crossed the border between their countries, and attacked a Soviet outpost, resulting in deaths and casualties. However, the Chinese had stated that the Soviets crossed the border and were repulsed.

 

This came as the confirmation of the growing fracture between the two most powerful communist nations, and in the years that followed, the United States had been taking advantage of this tension in their Cold War diplomacy. Ever since the early 1960s, relations between the communist countries had been deteriorating, as China believed that Soviet leadership was not following the Marxist path. Soon after, Chinese leaders had openly declared that the US and USSR were conspiring against the Chinese Revolution. This actually allowed the US to initiate diplomatic connections with China, and in 1972, President Nixon even visited China. The strongest reason for new relations with China was that this would make the Soviets more susceptible to be influenced on issues such as arms control and the Vietnam War. Putting the two nations against each other became a foundation of US diplomacy in the later Cold War.

 

Want to find out more about the Sino-Soviet border conflict? Click here to read more, or click here to watch a video explaining the events.