Text: Historical Curiosity
Edited by the Historical Institute
State-to-state relations have always been driven by interests.
As we all know, the mainland made great sacrifices to resist US aggression and aid Korea in the 50s and helped Korea achieve independence.
However, at the end of the 60s, when the mainland was in a difficult moment, the DPRK was ungrateful, changed its previous face, and gradually became "inflated" at the instigation of the big powers, and even tried to start a war on the mainland to show its hegemony in the Asian region.
The people of the mainland love peace and have always valued peace, but in the face of the DPRK's step-by-step provocations, how should the mainland respond, and what kind of cards does the DPRK hold to have the confidence to run so rampant?
«——【Kindness to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea】——»
On the map, the Korean Peninsula is only separated from the mainland by a river, and its location on the right flank of Beijing is crucial to the "heart" of Beijing. As a member of the Confucian cultural circle, North Korea was extremely influenced by the mainland.
In modern times, China and the DPRK have suffered from the aggression of Western powers, and the destinies of the two countries are closely linked, and similar encounters have also made China and the DPRK have a high degree of ideological unity.
In the 50s of the 20th century, after the outbreak of the Korean Civil War, the news of the war spread all over the world, and all countries were extremely shocked.
This was during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, and after World War II, left-wing ideas spread around the world, and the American authorities saw it as a threat, calling it the "specter of communism."
In order to prevent North Korea from completely falling into the arms of the socialist camp and causing a series of "domino effects", the US government immediately decided to intervene in the war.
This unjust act of the United States has aroused protests from many people, especially the Korean people, who have shamelessly interfered in the internal affairs of other countries, and the Korean people are in dire straits and immediately launched a plea for help from the mainland.
And all this also caused Chairman Mao's worries. Chairman Mao made many important speeches on the issue of sending troops to Korea to resist US aggression and aid Korea.
We all know that at this time, New China had just been born, the situation was not stable, the economy was poor and white, the equipment was backward, and there was still a strong "war-weariness" and "anti-war" sentiment in the country, not to mention that the opponent was still the "world boss" United States.
Whether measured in terms of economic strength or weaponry, the mainland has no chance of winning. Internally, there is also great controversy over whether to send troops to North Korea, and Chairman Mao's secretary said that this is one of the most difficult choices in the chairman's life.
However, Chairman Mao had an outstanding vision and insight into the essence of the matter and made the right choice to send troops. The main reason why it is necessary to resist US aggression and aid Korea is the geographical location of the DPRK.
If we do not fight for our own rights and interests, the enemy will come in, and the DPRK, which is controlled by the United States, will from time to time pierce our "heart" like a sharp sword, and "fight with one punch, lest a hundred blows come." This was Chairman Mao's farsighted thinking as a great man.
In this way, under a command, a million male soldiers set off and crossed the Yalu River. In this foreign land, the warriors fought bloodily and experienced all kinds of severe challenges, fighting the United States, which everyone thought was invincible at the time.
After battles large and small, the Chinese and North Korean armies finally stabilized the battle line near the "38th parallel" at great cost, forcing the United States to agree to sit down at the negotiating table for negotiations, and this battle also became the battle for the founding of our country.
The Korean War established the international image of New China, swept away the twilight of aggression and oppression by Western powers over the past century, strengthened the people's self-confidence, and shattered the myth that the United States was invincible as the "world boss."
The victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea is naturally of great significance to North Korea, so North Korea at that time can be said to be grateful to us, and to this day, in the volunteer cemetery, the Korean people will also lay wreaths to Mao Anying and other martyrs to express their respect to the volunteers.
In 1961, China and the DPRK signed the "Sino-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance," which is a military alliance between China and the DPRK, and the DPRK is also the only military ally of the mainland.
Surprisingly, the honeymoon between China and North Korea did not last long, and just over a decade later, there was a rift in the relationship between China and North Korea that could not be ignored.
«——【·裂痕初现·】——»
In 1965, North Korean leader Kim Il Sung took the initiative to invite Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, and the meeting between the two became major international news for a while.
Beginning in the 60s of the 20 th century, due to the continuous expansion of the Soviet Union's ambitions, the Soviet Union became more and more "pointing fingers" at the mainland and denouncing the mainland for its "disobedience" in many matters.
The mainland has always adhered to an independent foreign policy, so it refuses to become a vassal of the Soviet Union and a microphone of the Soviet Union, so the mainland resolutely maintains its independence despite the threat of the Soviet Union.
After 1960, the cooperative relationship between China and the Soviet Union could not be sustained, and the Soviet Union withdrew Soviet experts sent to help the mainland develop science and technology, and also stopped providing much assistance to the mainland.
In international relations, the Soviet Union sought to exercise diplomatic control over the mainland. Khrushchev united with North Korean leader Kim Il Sung in an attempt to unite with North Korea to resist China, and also signed the "Soviet-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance."
Kim Il Sung is well aware of the status of the DPRK in the eyes of China, and the DPRK has become one of the proud capitals of the DPRK due to its unique strategic geographical location.
When the news of the successful test of the mainland's first atomic bomb came, the DPRK was not only sincerely happy for the mainland, but also put forward its own conditions.
They demanded that the mainland be able to share the technology related to the atomic bomb with the mainland, but this request was rejected by the mainland.
Out of consideration for the special nature of the atomic bomb, the mainland did not rashly share the core technology. But this has become the impetus for Kim Il Sung's defection, and he believes that the mainland's behavior is a betrayal of the "blood alliance" between China and North Korea.
Since then, North Korea has also embarked on its own diplomatic path, always insisting on self-reliance and self-reliance, a strategy that has continued even today. At a time when relations between China and the DPRK have always maintained an extremely delicate balance, the entry of the United States and the Soviet Union has completely upset this balance.
In its strategy toward the DPRK, the Soviet Union has always maintained friendly courtship, while the United States has become increasingly anxious in the US-Soviet struggle for hegemony, has attached importance to the value of the mainland, and has thrown an olive branch to the mainland, which has aroused strong dissatisfaction among the Soviet Union.
In order to punish the mainland, the Soviet Union not only mobilized at home in an attempt to start a war on the mainland, but also began to do ideological work on the DPRK.
The Soviets claimed they could send troops and money, and the rich land on the mainland was tempting for the small island of Korea. As an old friend of the mainland, the DPRK resolutely sided with the Soviet Union this time.
In 1969, Sino-North Korean relations reached a freezing point. At the instigation of the Soviet Union, the DPRK not only openly denounced the mainland as betraying socialism, but also attempted to launch a military threat against the mainland.
The most infuriating thing is that in order to fight a war of public opinion, the DPRK went so far as to smear China, try to dilute the history of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea, and erase the merits of the volunteers.
Relying on the support of the Soviet Union, North Korea revealed its wolf ambitions, drove its troops directly to the Yalu River, and urgently wanted to launch an attack on the mainland.
This kind of posture was unexpected by the mainland, and the DPRK seemed to have shown great confidence in turning its face too quickly and denying others.
If North Korea were to go to war on the mainland, and with the assistance of the Soviet Union, we would most likely be exposed to the enemy, which would make us extremely passive.
While we were extremely chilled by North Korea's behavior, we quickly developed a strategy to deal with it, making North Korea deeply aware that its behavior would only shoot itself in the foot.
«——【·反击与修补·】——»
When the DPRK army pressed the border, the PLA guarding the border also worked in great spirits one by one and waited for the battle.
The dispatch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has held our defensive line, and under the strict defense of the PLA, the DPRK does not dare to continue to act rashly except for some provocative acts.
As a matter of fact, the DPRK's actions were itself instructed and instigated by the Soviet Union, and when the DPRK was arrogantly charging for the Soviet Union, and even did not hesitate to tear its face with the United States and South Korea, the Soviet Union did not fulfill its original promise to protect the DPRK.
The United States has made all-round military deployments to the DPRK in a short period of time, which has also made the DPRK dare not continue to be arrogant, while the Soviet Union has turned a blind eye to these and has not provided the DPRK with any tangible military assistance.
At the same time, Sino-Soviet relations are also undergoing subtle changes. As a result of the entry of the United States, the Soviet Union had to consider what serious consequences would be if a direct war was waged against the mainland.
Peace is not easy to come by, after World War II, the people of the world are eager for peace, if it is easy to start a nuclear war, the two nuclear states at the same time to suppress it, it will be difficult for the Soviet Union to bear.
In addition, the Soviet Union had a fierce confrontation with the mainland on Zhenbao Island, and although the Soviet Union had crushing-level armaments, under the stubborn resistance of the mainland soldiers, the Soviet Union not only did not take any advantage, but instead rubbed its nose and could only leave in disgrace.
After weighing the pros and cons of many parties, the Soviet Union finally gave up an all-out attack on the mainland. This attitude of the Soviet Union made the DPRK completely "unable to be a man". It offended China and the United States at once, and the DPRK was also terrified.
However, North Korea is more concerned about the attitude of the mainland, and North Korean leader Kim Il Sung also realizes that he should not listen to the Soviet Union and be hostile to China.
As a neighbor of North Korea, if China wants to hold North Korea accountable, North Korea may pay a huge price at that time.
Kim Il Sung immediately adjusted his diplomatic strategy and sent a special envoy to visit China to show goodwill to China, hoping that the mainland would take into account the "brotherhood" of the past and not blame the past.
In particular, Premier Zhou took the opportunity of sweeping the tomb at Qingming to show Kim Il Sung's determination to reconcile, and in this way, the relationship between China and North Korea was re-bridged, and they are still each other's "iron buddies" today.
In fact, the reconciling with North Korea in this way is not due to our weakness, but out of consideration for regional stability.
There are misunderstandings between China and the DPRK, but these misunderstandings cannot become a chasm between the two countries, and the harmonious coexistence between China and the DPRK is the best situation for the future of the two countries.
Since then, both Kim Il-sung and his successor Kim Jong-un have maintained friendly relations with the mainland, recognizing the mainland as the foreign aid and friendship of the DPRK, and the relations between China and the DPRK have been steady and progressive, and the momentum of harmonious development has always been maintained.
Now that North Korea has nuclear weapons, it can stand on its own. Strategically, it is also the fulcrum of the confrontation between the mainland and Japan and South Korea, and it can also help us contain India.
It can be said that the increase in the strength of the DPRK is beneficial to us, and the presence of the DPRK is conducive to the dispersion of US military power in Northeast Asia.
As for North Korea, China can be their strong backing, so that they have no worries, which may be one of the reasons why North Korea's image in the international community is so "iron".
«——【·End·】——»
Over the past 100 years, there have been ups and downs in the relations between China and the DPRK, but the general direction has always been friendly coexistence and peaceful development, and at a time of great changes unseen in a century, China and the DPRK should always maintain friendly relations, strengthen mutual cooperation, and jointly confront hegemonism.