The Quarrelling Brothers: New Chinese Archives and a ... - CiteSeerX

sophisticated strategic calculations, and the United States clearly loomed large in them.Though they did not use balance of power terminology, they acutely sensed theconstraints a bipolar system brought to the Soviet Union. “Because it is a great power, itis impossible for the Soviet Union to completely compromise with the United States,”Zhang Yan noted. 213 Chinese leaders clearly understood the pressures the bipolar systemplaced on the dominant two powers. “What the United States is afraid of is still the SovietUnion,” Zhang Yan analyzed, “because the Soviet Union constitutes the biggest threat tothe United States, and what the Soviet Union worries about the most is still the UnitedStates.” 214 Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Hanfu assessed that “the United States is notgiving him consultations or making concessions, but pressing him very hard,” therefore“he still cannot completely throw away the flags of anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism,and support for revolutionary movements.” 215 Based on such assessments Chinadeveloped a strategy toward the Soviet Union that was perhaps much more sophisticatedthan previously realized.While Chen Yi warned that “we cannot have any illusions about Khrushchev,” 216Beijing still saw the strategic benefit of maintaining at least superficial unity with theSoviet Union, with which China could play Khrushchev against the United States. “Interms of Khrushchev, it’s impossible for us to unite with [him] on the basis of proletarianinternationalism,” Zhang Yan stated. “But it is a tactic to use his contradictions with213 Item No. 3 “Guowuyuan waiban: Zhang Yan tongzhi jianghua, yijiu liu’er nian ershiliu ri shangwu,” ibid.214 Ibid.215 Item No. 16 “Guowuyuan waiban: Zhang Hanfu tongzhi diyici de jianghua (jilu), 1962 nian 11 yue 7 ri” (The StateCouncil Foreign Affairs Office: Comrade Zhang Hnafu’s First Talk (Notes), November 7, 1962), ibid.216 Item No. 6 “Chen Yi fuzongli zai difang waishi huiyi jieshu qian de jianghua yandian (jilugao), yijiu liu’er nianshiyi yue ershiba ri xiawu” (The Main Points of Vice Premier Chen Yi’s Talk before the Conclusion of the RegionalForeign Affairs Meeting (Recorded Copy), Afternoon, November 28, 1962), ibid.66