Deng Xiaoping's Long War - (New Cold War History) by Xiaoming Zhang (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The surprise Chinese invasion of Vietnam in 1979 shocked the international community. The two communist nations had seemed firm political and cultural allies, but the twenty-nine-day border war imposed heavy casualties, ruined urban and agricultural infrastructure, leveled three Vietnamese cities, and catalyzed a decadelong conflict. In this groundbreaking book, Xiaoming Zhang traces the roots of the conflict to the historic relationship between the peoples of China and Vietnam, the ongoing Sino-Soviet dispute, and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's desire to modernize his country. Deng's perceptions of the Soviet Union, combined with his plans for economic and military reform, shaped China's strategic vision. Drawing on newly declassified Chinese documents and memoirs by senior military and civilian figures, Zhang takes readers into the heart of Beijing's decision-making process and illustrates the war's importance for understanding the modern Chinese military, as well as China's role in the Asian-Pacific world today.

Review Quotes

"[A] skillful study. . . . Reminds readers of the reasons why fundamental distrust persists on both sides." -- Foreign Affairs

"[A] superb example of history writing at its best . . . [and] one of the best explanations of China's current strategic approach to military action. Essential." -- CHOICE

"A useful synthesis . . . of the current state of knowledge on this subject." -- Journal of Chinese Military History

"Explores the Sino-Vietnamese military conflict that ran from 1979 to 1991. . . . Draw[s] from an impressive range of Chinese sources for this work." -- Canadian Journal of History

"The definitive work on the subject...Well-researched and clearly-written study fills a gap in our knowledge about China's preparation and execution of the Third Indochina War." -- H-Diplo

"Valuable not only for its detailed description and assessment of the 1979 conflict, but importantly also because of its account of actions after the main hostilities." -- Asian Affairs