Overview
Built upon a solid foundation of sources, memoirs, and interviews, this study sheds new light on China's efforts in the Vietnam War. Utilizing secondary works in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Western languages, and the author's own familiarity as a former member of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, this examination expands the knowledge of China's relations with the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) during the 1950s and 1960s. As a communist state bordering Vietnam, China actively facilitated the transformation of Ho Chi Minh's army from a small, loosely organized, poorly equipped guerrilla force in the 1940s into a formidable, well-trained professional army capable of defeating first the French (1946--1954) and then the Americans (1963--1973). Even after the signing of the Geneva Peace Agreement, China continued to aggressively support Vietnam. Between 1955 and 1963, Chinese military aid totaled $106 million and these massive contributions enabled Ho Chi Minh to build up a strong conventional force. After 1964, China increased its aid and provided approximately $20 billion more in military and economic aid to Vietnam. Western strategists and historians have long speculated about the extent of China's involvement in Vietnam, but it was not until recently that newly available archival materials revealed the true extent of China's influence -- its level of military assistance training, strategic advising, and monetary means during the war. This illuminating study answers questions about China's intention, objective, strategy, and operations of its involvement in the Vietnam Wars.
Full Product Details
Author: Xiaobing Li
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
Imprint: The University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 9780813177946
ISBN 10: 0813177944
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 10 September 2019
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
The interviews he conducted add invaluable colour to a fragmentary official record of Chinese aid that has undoubtedly been inflated as China sought to build a public relations case against what it saw as Vietnamese ingratitude. -- Canadian Journal of History
Author Information
Xiaobing Li is a professor of history at the University of Central Oklahoma. He has published several books including China's Battle for Korea: The 1951 Spring Offensive, A History of the Modern Chinese Army, Voices from the Vietnam War: Stories from American, Asian, and Russian Veterans, and Civil Liberties in China.
