SUMMARY
The conflict between China and Vietnam came to include a number of territorial disputes and was heavily influenced by regional rivalry during the 1970s and the 1980s. In 1979, China invaded northern Vietnam and heavy fighting erupted. The Chinese troops were withdrawn after a few months, but intermittent fighting along the border, as well as at sea, occasionally, continued until 1988. The fighting eventually ceased even though the disputes for a long time remained unsolved.
IN DEPTH
Background to the conflict
Following the Vietnam War, the relations between China and Vietnam were considerably strained. In September 1973, South Vietnam announced its formal incorporation of the Paracel Islands, located in the South China Sea. None of the islands are larger than a square mile, but it is believed, though it has never been proven, that the islands contain oil deposits and they have thus attracted considerable attention from the surrounding countries. The question of which country has the territorial rights to the Paracel Islands has been disputed ever since Japan renounced its claim on them following the end of World War II. The South Vietnamese incorporation of the islands was contested by China on 11 January 1974. According to South Vietnam, 11 Chinese warships then entered the Paracel Islands area on 16 January and landed troops on a few of the islands. Three days later, the first military encounter on the Islands took place, which was then followed by further clashes at sea. South Vietnam eventually unilaterally withdrew on 20 January. The islands were immediately taken over by China. There are diverging reports on the number of people killed in the clashes. According to Vietnam, 19 of their soldiers died while a large number of soldiers were reported as missing. China reportedly lost 18 soldiers. Thus, at least 37 people were killed during the two days of battle.
In connection to the dispute over the Paracel Islands, China also rejected South Vietnams claim to the Spratly Islands, another group of islands located further south in the South China Sea. No clashes occurred in the area of the Spratly Islands, but South Vietnam strengthened its presence on these islands following Chinas takeover of the Paracel Islands.
Following the clashes on the Paracel Islands, the relations between China and Vietnam remained tense and eventually escalated into fighting in 1978. The conflict came to be heavily influenced by regional developments and rivalry during the 1970s and the 1980s, including the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1978, Chinas support to the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, Vietnams relations to the Soviet Union and Chinas relations to the USA. Other important factors that contributed to a further deterioration of relations between China and Vietnam in 1978 were, among others, the Chinese withdrawal of all technical and financial aid to Vietnam and the repressive measures against the ethnic Chinese living in northern Vietnam. In connection to the latter, China accused Vietnam of expelling thousands of ethnic Chinese living in Vietnam into China.
Clashes on land and at sea in 1978
The tensions between China and Vietnam had remained tense since the fighting over the Paracel Islands in 1974 (for more information see background to the conflict). Two years after China had taken control over the Paracel Islands, in 1976, both the Paracel and the Spratly Islands were shown on official Vietnamese map as Vietnamese territory. From 1978 onwards, both Vietnam and China frequently accused one another for border violations, a number of which led to fatalities. On 15 October, Vietnam claimed that Chinese border guards had killed two Vietnamese border guards, which China rejected. Two weeks later, Vietnam stated that six Chinese had been killed, as well as an unknown number of Vietnamese, following a Chinese intrusion on Vietnamese territory. China answered by claiming that Vietnamese troops had crossed the border into China, which subsequently led to casualties on both sides.
Parallel to the border clashes, a number of incidents took place at sea. Both sides made accusations about armed ships firing on fishing boats and trawlers, all of which were claimed to have led to fatalities. Despite several rounds of negotiations, no settlements of the disputes were reached.
Other important factors that contributed to a further deterioration of the relations between China and Vietnam in 1978 were, among others, the Chinese withdrawal of all technical and financial aid to Vietnam and the repressive measures against the ethnic Chinese living in northern Vietnam. In connection to the latter, China accused Vietnam of expelling thousands of ethnic Chinese living in Vietnam into China.
China’s invasion of Vietnam in 1979
In January 1979, the tense relations between China and Vietnam worsened even further as a series of border incidents took place. On 17 February, the situation escalated into a full-scale border war. It was reported that 75 000 Chinese troops invaded Vietnam along the entire common border. Initially, China managed to capture several provincial capitals, including Cao Bang, Lang Son, Lao Cai and Cam Duong. However, Vietnam launched a heavy counterattack and the Chinese troops eventually had to pull back. In the beginning of March, China announced that all troops were to be withdrawn from Vietnam. Despite this, there were several reports of clashes along the border throughout the rest of the year. Vietnam also claimed that China had moved some border markings into Vietnamese territory. The reports on the number of people killed in the fighting varied, some sources claimed that over 50 000 troops (both Chinese and Vietnamese) died during the first months of fighting.
The Chinese invasion of Vietnam came shortly after Vietnam had invaded Cambodia in order to oust the Khmer Rouge from power. The Vietnamese invasion was strongly condemned by China, which supported the Khmer Rouge both before and after the invasion of Cambodia (for more information see the intrastate conflict in Cambodia).
Following the Chinese invasion of Vietnam, a debate was initiated in the UN Security Council on 23 February 1979. Several drafts were discussed, but the final version was eventually rejected through a veto from the Soviet Union. The main reason for the Soviet veto was that the resolution did not condemn the aggression strongly enough and that it indirectly linked it to the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia. China on the other hand, although voting for the resolution, criticised it for not condemning the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia strongly enough. Furthermore, Chinas main motivation for its invasion was that it acted in self-defence following repeated Vietnamese border provocations.
In 1979, two rounds of negotiations were held between China and Vietnam, the first round between 18 April and 18 May and the second round from 28 June to 19 December. Despite these lengthy talks, the parties did not reach an agreement on any of the disputes (including the land border, the rights to the Paracel and the Spratly Islands and the sea border in the Gulf of Tonkin). The failure of the negotiations was heavily linked to the parties positions on the developments in Cambodia.
Years of border clashes and regional rivalry 1980-1988
The Chinese invasion of Vietnam in 1979 was followed by years of intermittent fighting, which often coincided with Vietnam’s dry-season offensives in Cambodia. Although the fighting during the 1980s never escalated to the same levels as in 1979, there were instances of heavy fighting in which hundreds of civilians and soldiers were reported to have been killed. The most frequently cited areas of clashes were the Chinese Yunnan province and the Guangxi Zhuangzu autonomous region as well as the Vietnamese Lang Son and Ha Tuyen provinces. Vietnam proposed negotiations on a number of occasions, but this was always rejected by China with the explanation that negotiations would not be fruitful until Vietnam had withdrawn all of its troops from Cambodia. Vietnam also suggested temporary ceasefires during the Tet (lunar new year) festivals, but also these proposals were rejected by China.
In 1980, China and Vietnam exchanged almost daily protests of claimed border attacks and incursions. 1981 followed the same pattern, although on a less intensive scale. The situation improved in 1982 and there were few reports of clashes. However, in 1983 and 1984, there were several clashes along the border during the dry-seasons, while the second halves of 1983 and 1984 were relatively calm. In 1985, the tensions between China and Vietnam seemed to have eased somewhat and a more conciliatory tone was established between the two countries. Despite this, clashes erupted once again in 1986 and 1987, mostly following the same pattern of fighting as in previous years. Throughout the years of border clashes, there was often a lack of independent reporting, making it difficult to verify the high number of clashes reported by both countries.
Cessation of hostilities despite unresolved disputes
In 1988, after several years of border clashes between China and Vietnam, there were for the first time no reports of any larger clashes along the common land border. However, in March, fighting broke in the area of the Spratly Islands. The dispute over these Islands, as well as the Paracel Islands, dates back to 1974, when China rejected Vietnam’s claim to them (for more information see background to the conflict). The clashes erupted in mid-March when Chinese troops landed on the Spratly Islands and shortly afterwards were reported to have sunken a Vietnamese gunboat, killing over 70 Vietnamese soldiers. Vietnam sent naval reinforcements to the area and the situation was considerably tense. Eventually, Vietnam decided to withdraw unilaterally from the Islands. The tensions remained and both sides accused the other for sending reinforcements to the area. In November, Vietnam claimed that a Chinese warship had fired on a Vietnamese vessel. This was rejected by China and Vietnam’s claim could never be independently confirmed. With the exception of this incident, there were no reports of clashes following the Vietnamese withdrawal earlier in the year. Vietnam once again called for a peaceful settlement of the dispute but this was rejected by China and the dispute remained unsolved.
The conflict was coded as terminated in 1988, since there were no further reports about clashes between China and Vietnam in 1989. In 1991, the two countries decided to normalise relations and a working group was subsequently appointed to discuss the territorial disputes. In 1993, China began to clear landmines along the Chinese-Vietnamese border. However, the status of the Paracel and the Spratly Islands remains unsolved and several countries continue to claim the islands. The demarcation of the border between China and Vietnam was completed in 2008.
