In 1979, when China was facing a very complicated international situation, then US President Carter invited Deng Gong to visit the United States, and this news attracted the attention of the whole world.
【Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States】
Sino-Soviet relations were at a freezing point, and in order to ensure that the mainland would not be isolated in the international community and to gain time and space for the upcoming self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, Deng Gong gladly accepted Carter's invitation and embarked on a trip to the United States.
Deng Xiaoping went to the United States
On the one hand, the Sino-Vietnamese border conflict has reached a critical point, and on the other hand, the hostile posture between China and the Soviet Union is still continuing.
【Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States】
Carter has a nickname called the good old man, and among all the previous US presidents, Carter has a very friendly attitude towards China.
After Deng Xiaoping arrived in the United States, he soon held a closed-door meeting with Carter, and Carter and the U.S. government were most concerned about the next development direction of the Sino-Vietnamese conflict.
China's decision to defend itself against Vietnam has been decided, and Carter was shocked and worried by the news, and he vaguely said that China has no chance of winning.
Carter held this view not because he looked down on China, but because the United States had only recently emerged from the quagmire of the Vietnam War.
【Vietnam War】
The Vietnam War was the second largest defeat in the entire 20th century after the Korean War, and the impact on the United States was even more severe.
The United States paid the price of more than 60,000 soldiers killed and at least $200 billion in economic losses in the Vietnam War.
You must know that this is 200 billion US dollars in the 70s of the last century, and the purchasing power is far greater than today, and the US army was the most mechanized military force in the world at that time, and the advanced degree of weapons and equipment is unmatched, but it is still planted in the hands of the Vietnamese army, which has shown the gold content of the Vietnamese army.
【Vietnam War】
On the other hand, the People's Liberation Army at that time did not have any superiority compared with the US military in the Vietnam War, and the technical level of weapons and equipment was not comparable with that of the US army, and the only commendable thing was the size of the artillery unit.
Carter believed that it was not wise for the PLA to take the initiative to attack Vietnam during this period, and that there was a military alliance agreement between the Soviet Union and Vietnam at that time, and the Soviet Union was likely to intervene after China launched a war against Vietnam, and the situation facing China would be very dangerous.
But Deng Xiaoping disagreed with Carter, saying that China would certainly teach Vietnam a lesson for its hegemonic behavior, and that Chinese words count.
【Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States】
Since 1974, Vietnam has ignored China's warnings and repeatedly provoked China, invaded China's territory, and endangered China's military and civilians.
But even though Deng Gong has already stated his position, the people present are still not optimistic about China, Vietnam's military strength has ushered in a new round of growth after defeating the United States, and in the face of such Vietnam, the United States does not believe that the Chinese army is capable of defeating it.
Genius war against Vietnam
However, to the great shock of the US government and the world, the Vietnamese army, which made the US military suffer so much in the Vietnam War, was beaten in the face of the PLA and had almost no ability to fight back.
【War against Vietnam】
The PLA's actions completely exceeded Vietnam's expectations, and in just one month, northern Vietnam completely fell, and even the military town of Lang Son was conquered by the PLA, opening the way to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.
At a time when the Vietnamese authorities were preparing to repatriate Vietnamese troops stationed in Cambodia and Laos to fight to the death with the People's Liberation Army, the Chinese government suddenly announced the withdrawal of its troops, which greatly shocked all governments concerned about the development of the situation.
The initiation and end of a self-defensive counterattack against Vietnam greatly exceeded the predictions of various governments.
【War against Vietnam】
First of all, the proportion of recruits in the People's Liberation Army at that time was very high, reaching more than 50%, and the Vietnamese army was almost all veterans of the War of Resistance against France and the US-Vietnam War.
However, in the actual war, the PLA crushed the Vietnamese army in terms of combat efficiency, and the so-called ace troops and veterans of the Vietnamese army were not opponents of the PLA at all.
Another breakthrough in other countries' traditional understanding of war is the PLA's application of armored forces in jungle warfare, during the Vietnam War, the U.S. military invested a large number of armored forces, but U.S. tanks are mainly used to attack cities or key defenses, and will not participate in field warfare at all.
The reason is also simple, a tank of several tens of tons has no mobility at all in the jungle with complex terrain.
[U.S. tanks in Vietnam]
However, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) used the lighter Type 62 light tank to maneuver quickly in the jungle and mountain environment, which made the Vietnamese army dizzy, and the PLA's use of tanks broke through the traditional perception and made it a surprise force.
The abrupt withdrawal of troops in 1979 was a stroke of genius in the war against Vietnam, and it was this move that greatly improved the external environment facing the mainland and laid the foundation for a thorough settlement of the Sino-Vietnamese conflict.
Objectively speaking, the launch of a self-defense counterattack against Vietnam was relatively hasty, and the Soviet military threat had always existed at that time, and the elimination of Vietnam as a proxy would undoubtedly further intensify the Sino-Soviet conflict.
【War against Vietnam】
And at this juncture, the withdrawal of troops is tantamount to a perfect answer in China's external situation at that time. For China, this battle has played a national and military prestige, a good counterattack to Vietnam's previous arrogant attitude, and ensured the dignity of a great power.
For the United States and the West, on the one hand, China has confirmed its strong military power and has the capital to become an international partner of the West in the context of the Cold War.
On the other hand, it also occupied the moral high ground, and the nature of the war was self-defense and counterattack rather than aggressive warfare, which would not leave a voice for the Soviet-Eastern camp to accuse the West and China of cooperating with Vietnam in order to invade Vietnam.
【War against Vietnam】
As far as the Soviet Union was concerned, China's timely withdrawal of troops saved the Soviet Union from being obliged by its allies to enter the war, and the Soviet Union's strategic focus at that time was still in Europe, and if a war broke out with China, it would inevitably make a loophole in the Cold War confrontation in Europe.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has achieved a win-win situation with one withdrawal move, which is precisely the brilliant wisdom of Deng Xiaoping and other Chinese leaders.
Sources:
[1] Gong Li, Zhou Jingqing, Zhang Shu. In 1979, China launched a self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, and the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union was delicate
[2] Xu Linping, Guo Xiu. An Analysis of China's Self-Defense and Counter-Attack Operations Against Vietnam, VIP, 2013