Description
Book SynopsisDiplomatic historians Zhihua Shen and Yafeng Xia draw on previously untapped primary source materials revealing tensions and rivalries to offer a unique account of the China–North Korea relationship. They unravel the twists and turns in high-level diplomacy between China and North Korea from the late 1940s to the death of Mao Zedong in 1976.
Trade Review[An] important contribution. . . . Shen and Xia reveal harsh conflicts between the leaders of China and North Korea during the Korean War. * Foreign Affairs *
Anyone who reads this groundbreaking study will gain a new perspective on current Sino-North Korean relations. Using a host of new Chinese materials,
A Misunderstood Friendship reveals fascinating new details about both Chinese and North Korean policy. It will be a must-read for all who are interested in the Cold War in East Asia. -- Gregg Brazinsky, George Washington University, author of
Winning the Third World: Sino-American Rivalry During the Cold WarThis pathbreaking book systematically uncovers the previously hidden history of relations between the Chinese and North Korean Communists. In their painstaking research, their sharp analysis, and their clear exposition, Shen and Xia show why they are considered among the world’s foremost Cold War historians. Given the importance of Cold War history for the dramatic events in Northeast Asia today, this book could not be more timely. -- Thomas J. Christensen, Columbia University, author of
The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising PowerThis is the first scholarly book about the history of China’s relationship with North Korea, and no two scholars are better suited than Shen and Xia to take on this task. They have produced a superb book, drawing on a remarkable array of sources. Their book puts to rest some long-standing myths about Sino-North Korean relations and is therefore of immense value for scholars. Although the authors focus on the Cold War period, their survey is very much relevant to current policy debates about security on the Korean peninsula and will be extremely useful for a general audience as well. -- Mark Kramer, program director of Cold War studies, Harvard University, coeditor of
Imposing, Maintaining, and Tearing Open the Iron Curtain: The Cold War and East-Central Europe, 1945–1989A well-documented study. * Survival *
Highly recommended. * Choice *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction: Refuting a Historical Myth
1. Victory and Expansion of the Revolution in China and North Korea, 1945‒1950
2. Sharp Contradictions Among the Leadership, 1950‒1953
3. Chinese Economic Aid and Kim’s
Juche Idea, 1953‒1956
4. Mao’s Policy of Mollification, 1957‒1960
5. North Korea’s Balancing Act, 1961‒1965
6. The Lowest Ebb, 1966‒1969
7. China’s Last Ally, 1970‒1976
Epilogue: China and North Korea in the Era of Deng Xiaoping
Notes
Bibliography
Index
