China and the United States: A New Cold War History

by Xiaobing Li, Hongshan Li

Overview

This essay collection presents a new examination and fresh insight into Sino-American relations from the end of World War II to the 1960s. The compilation breaks new ground by exploring some of the untouched Chinese and Soviet Communist sources to document the major events and crises in East Asia. It also identifies a new pattern of confrontations between China and America during the Cold War. Based on extensive multi-archival research utilizing recently-released records, the authors move the study away from the usual Soviet-American rivalry and instead focus on the relatively unknown area of communists' interactions and conflicts in order to answer questions such as why Beijing sent troops to Korea, what role China played in the Vietnam War, and why Mao caused crises in the Taiwan Straits. The articles in the book examine Chinese perceptions and positions, and discuss the nature and goals of China's foreign policy and its impact on Sino-American relations during this crucial period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461697961
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	12/11/1997
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	356
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Xiaobing Li is Assistant Professor of History and Associate Director of the Western Pacific Institute at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma. Hongshan Li is a member of the History Department at Kent State University in New Philadelphia, Ohio.
Xiaobing Li is professor and chair of the Department of History and Geography and the director of the Western Pacific Institute at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Hongshan Li is president of Chinese Historians in the United States, and is Assistant Professor of History at Kent State University.

Editorial Reviews

Presents 12 essays by international relations historians with unique access to Chinese foreign policy documents by virtue of their having been born and raised in China and educated in the West. A central concern throughout the essays is an exploration of the untold story of China's foreign policy decision-making. Topics covered include: Sino-Korean-Soviet relations as explanatory of Chinese troops being sent into the Korean War, Mao's efforts to expand China's world role in the Taiwan Straits crises, relations between Beijing and Hanoi during the Vietnam War, cultural and educational relations as an important part of U.S.-Taiwan interaction, and U.S. support for the Nationalist air force as responsible for Communist Party suspicion of Washington. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

...insightful commentary...a myriad of details...students of this topic and this period will find its accounts useful.

Leonard H. Gordon