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Background Brief China-Vietnam Border War, 1979-2014 Carlyle A. Thayer February 16, 2014

BBC Vietnamese Service (Tieng Viet): 1/ Given that the Chinese offensive was limited to a punitive lesson, and some sources said the decision to limit the war to weeks was made months before the war began, do you think China accomplished the objectives that it set out to do? Answer: Rising incidents along the Sino-Vietnamese border in 1976, 1977 and 1978 led China to undertake preparations for war with Vietnam. China began planning for a war against Vietnam in 1978 but it was not until mid-February 1979 that the final decision was made. Deng Xiaoping briefed senior officials on February 16, the day before the attack on Vietnam, and stated the war would be limited in time and space and involve ground forces only. Deng also stated that Chinas objectives would be attained after only a few days of fighting. There were no major air or naval engagements. Deng Xiaoping and his generals thought that they could accomplish their objectives in a few days. They did not. China used the capture of Lang Son three weeks after the invasion as a convenient moment to announce success and begin the unilateral withdrawal of Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) forces. The Chinese objectives included to induce Vietnam to withdraw military forces from Cambodia and thereby relieve pressure on the Khmer Rouge. This was not accomplished. Vietnam continued to attack the Khmer Rouge and no forces were withdrawn from Cambodia and rushed to the northern border. China also sought to engage main force Vietnamese units up to division in size near the border and destroy them. Vietnam largely held its main forces in reserve and China did not succeed in mauling any of them to the extent that they ceased to be fighting units. Vietnam used mainly its militia and local forces to defend against China. China also sought to seize a number of provincial capitals such as Lao Cai, Cao Bang and Lang Son and then lay waste to Vietnamese northern defence system and economic infrastructure. China did succeed in meeting these objectives but not in the few days that was anticipated but only after three weeks of heavy fighting and heavy casualties. Much systematic damage was done when the PLA withdrew.

2 2/ Some said Deng Xiaoping went to war because he wanted to keep the army busy while he was resolving inner-party conflict. What is your assessment? Answer: It was clear that by the third plenum (eleventh congress) of the Chinese Communist Party held in November-December 1978 that Deng Xiaoping had been rehabilitated (for a second time) and enjoyed support from the majority of the Chinese leadership. Deng was already known for his hard line views against Vietnam arising from the expulsion of the Hoa peoples. Vietnams December 25, 1978 invasion of Cambodia was the turning point. It was because Deng was now the undisputed leader that he could order the PLA to teach Vietnam a lesson. Deng also felt the battlefield experience would be useful. 3/ Some historians speculated that the war was Dengs test of the fighting ability of the PLA troops, and it fits into his modernization plans since it highlighted many of the technological deficiencies of his army. What is your assessment? Answer: The four modernizations were launched a year before the attack on Vietnam. Military modernization was the fourth priority. Deng didnt want to test the fighting ability of the PLA so much as to score a dramatic victory over Vietnam and in the process gain valuable battlefield experience. Deng and his top generals did not know that the PLA was incapable of conducting peoples war under modern conditions. 4/ Why do you think China wants to forget about the war that they originally called a victory and a self-defense and counterattack against Vietnam? Answer: Few nations draw attention to their failure and defeat in war. China is no exception. The difficulty for China is how to commemorate the border war without raising questions about the veracity of Dengs claim of having achieved success. Also, a re-examination of the 1979 border war would reveal that China was the aggressor not Vietnam. 5/ Did the war change Chinas military strategy, as well as foreign policy, and if yes, please elaborate? Answer: The border war was a wakeup call to modernize and more importantly professionalize the PLA. The border war relied heavily on mass assaults redolent of the Korean War. Peoples war under modern conditions is about defendi ng China from a more modern adversary. It is a perversion of peoples war to use it to invade another country. Peoples war under modern conditions in 1979 did not see the PLA employ especially modern weapons. The only peoples war aspect was the mobilization of the militia for logistics and rear area security. Even then Vietnamese units were able to cross into China in a real counter-attack in self-defence, though they did not inflict much damage. China-Vietnam relations were frozen for more than a decade and during this period China kept sustaining the Khmer Rouge through the provision of military supplies. Chinas foreign policy only began to change as a result of overtures from the Soviet Union, first under Brezhnev and then Gorbachev. China pointedly changed policy towards Vietnam only after the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement and not in September 1989 when Vietnam unilaterally withdrew its military forces.

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, China-Vietnam Border War, 1979-2014, Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, February 16, 2014. All background briefs are posted on Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove yourself from the mailing list type UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject heading and hit the Reply key. Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.

V sao TQ mun qun cuc chin 1979? - BBC Vietnamese - Vit Nam

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V sao TQ mun qun cuc chin 1979?

Cp nht: 06:36 GMT - th nm, 20 thng 2, 2014

Trung Quc vn xem cuc chin nm 1979 vi Vit Nam l mt 'chin thng' Nhn dp 35 nm chin tranh bin gii Vit-Trung, BBC c cuc phng vn gio s Carl Thayer, cu chuyn gia t Hc vin Quc phng c, tm hiu nguyn nhn v sao Bc Kinh li mun lng qun cuc chin nc ny gi l 'chin tranh t v' m Trung Quc 'chin thng'. BBC: Trung Quc tuyn b cuc chin nm 1979 l nhm mc ch "dy cho Vit Nam mt bi hc", v mt s ngun ni quyt nh gii hn cuc chin trong vng hai tun c a ra nhiu thng trc khi n chnh thc bng n. Xt nhng yu t trn, ng nh gi th no v mc thnh cng ca Trung Quc trong cuc chin vi Vit Nam? Gio s Carl Thayer: Cng thng dc bin gii Vit-Trung bt u leo thang t nm 1976 v dn n kt cc l vic Trung Quc chun b cho chin tranh vi Vit Nam. Bc Kinh ln k hoch nh Vit Nam t nm 1978 nhng sau n tn gia thng Hai nm 1979, quyt nh cui cng mi c a ra. ng Tiu Bnh c cuc hp vi cc quan chc cp cao vo ngy 16/2, mt ngy trc khi n ra chin tranh bin gii. ng tuyn b cuc chin s c gii hn v c phm vi ln thi gian, v lc lng tham chin ch bao gm cc lc lng trn b. ng Tiu Bnh v cc tng lnh ca ng ta ngh rng h c th t c cc mc tiu ra ch trong vi ngy. iu ny khng xy ra. Trung Quc s dng vic chim c Lng Sn 3 tun sau khi tin qun qua bin gii tuyn b chin thng v n phng rt qun. Nhng mc tiu m Trung Quc ra, trong c vic buc Vit Nam phi rt qun khi Campuchia nhm gim sc p cho ng minh Khmer ca h, khng th t c. Vit Nam tip tc tn cng Khmer v khng rt qun khi Campuchia tip vin cho bin gii pha Bc. Trung Quc cng mun tiu dit cc lc lng chnh ca Vit Nam cp s on ang ng gn khu vc bin gii. Tuy nhin Vit Nam gi cc lc lng chnh li pha sau v Trung Quc khng th loi cc n v ny ra khi vng chin. Vit Nam ch yu ch s dng dn qun v b i a phng trong sut cuc chin vi Trung Quc. Mt trong cc mc tiu khc ca Trung Quc l chim cc tnh ln nh Lo Cai, Cao Bng v Lng Sn, v ph hy h thng phng th cng nh c s h tng khu vc bin gii pha Bc ca Vit nam. Trung Quc t c mc tiu ny, nhng khng phi ch sau vi ngy, m l sau nhiu tun giao tranh c lit v phi chu thit hi nng n.

V kh qun PLA s dng trong chin tranh nm 1979 khng c cho l hin i

Khng ng c tht bi
BBC: Mt s kin cho rng ng Tiu Bnh pht ng chin tranh vi Vit Nam v ng ta mun gi cho qun i bn bu rnh tay gii quyt mu thun ni b. ng c ng vi iu ny? Gio s Carl Thayer: Trc Hi ngh Trung ng 3 kha 11 vo thng 11-12 nm 1978, ng Tiu Bnh c phc chc v c c s ng h mnh m t a s trong gii lnh o Trung Quc thi by gi. ng l ngi c quan im cng rn chng li Vit Nam k t khi hai nc bt u c xung t v vn Hoa kiu. Vic Vit Nam a qun vt bin gii Ty Nam tin vo Campuchia thng 12 nm 1978 c l l mt git nc trn ly. Khi ng Tiu Bnh c th ra lnh Qun gii phng Nhn dn Trung Quc (PLA) "dy cho Vit Nam mt bi hc", iu cho thy ng ta l mt lnh o khng c i th. Bn cnh , ng Tiu Bnh cng cho rng Trung Quc c th thu v nhng kinh nghim chin trng cn thit t cuc chin vi Vit Nam. BBC: Nhiu s gia cho rng cuc chin l cch ng Tiu Bnh th kh nng chin u ca qun PLA v n phc v k hoch hin i ha qun i ca ng ta, bi n lm bc l nhiu im yu ca qun i PLA thi by gi. ng ngh g v iu ny? Gio s Carl Thayer: Trung Quc thc hin '4 hin i ha' mt nm trc khi pht ng chin tranh vi Vit Nam, trong hin i ha qun s c u tin cui cng.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2014/02/140220_carlthayer_1979.shtml?pr... 20/02/2014

V sao TQ mun qun cuc chin 1979? - BBC Vietnamese - Vit Nam

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Vic th kh nng chin u ca qun PLA khng phi l iu ng Tiu Bnh mun u tin hng u, m thay vo , ng ta mun c mt chin thng vang di trc Vit Nam, v cng mt lc, thu v nhng kinh nghim qu gi trn chin trng. ng Tiu Bnh v cc tng lnh ca ng ta khng ng rng qun PLA khng kh nng thc hin 'chin tranh nhn dn trong nhng iu kin hin i'.

Cc lc lng tham chin ca Vit Nam nm 1979 ch yu l dn qun v b i a phng

V sao mun lng qun?

BBC: Theo ng th v sao Trung Quc li mun lng qun mt cuc chin m h gi l 'chin tranh t v', nht l khi h tuyn b chin thng trong cuc chin ? Gio s Carl Thayer: t c quc gia no mun nh n tht bi ca mnh trong chin tranh. Trung Quc cng khng phi trng hp ngoi l. Ci kh ca Trung Quc l lm sao c th tng nim chin tranh bin gii m khng lm dy ln nghi vn v tuyn b chin thng ca ng Tiu bnh. Mt mt khc, nu nhn li cuc chin bin gii nm 1979 th c th thy l chnh Trung Quc, khng phi Vit Nam, l nc i xm lc. BBC: Cuc chin thay i nhng chnh sch ngoi giao v qun s ca Trung Quc nh th no, tha ng? Gio s Carl Thayer: Cuc chin bin gii l hi chung cnh tnh i vi Bc Kinh, buc h phi hin i ha v chuyn nghip ha qun PLA. Trong cuc chin nm 1979, Trung Quc s dng nhng t tin cng vi qun s ng o nh thi Chin tranh Triu Tin. 'Chin tranh nhn dn trong nhng iu kin hin i' l chin lc dng bo v Trung Quc trc mt k th hin i hn. l mt 'chin tranh nhn dn' c sa i s dng cho vic xm lc mt nc khc. Trong 'chin tranh nhn dn trong nhng iu kin hin i' vo nm 1979, qun PLA khng s dng nhng loi v kh c bit hin i. Yu t duy nht ca 'chin tranh nhn dn' trong cuc chin nm 1979 l vic huy ng dn qun cho cng tc hu cn vo bo v hu phng. Tuy nhin ngay c khi , cc n v ca Vit Nam cng vn c th tin qua bin gii ca Trung Quc nhm "phn cng t v", d h khng gy ra thit hi nng n. Quan h Vit-Trung ng bng hn 10 nm v trong thi gian ny, Trung Quc vn tip tc vin tr qun s cho Khmer . Chnh sch ngoi giao ca Trung Quc ch bt u thay i sau s sp ca Lin X di thi Gorbachev. Chnh sch ca Trung Quc i vi Vit Nam cng ch thay i ng k sau Hip nh Ha bnh Paris nm 1991 v sau khi Vit Nam rt qun khi Campuchia nm 1989.

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