Reconsidering China’s Decision to Enter the Korean War— Seventieth Year after the Korean Armistice

Abstract

The Chinese decision-making process and the role of the Chinese leaders (mainly Mao Zedong) during the Korean War remain controversial topics in international academic circles. This article argues that China's main goal in 1950-1951 was to liberate Taiwan, and once the Soviet Union and North Korea had agreed to launch a military attack on South Korea, Mao was forced to support the war. After the United States entered the war in late June 1950, Mao advocated sending Chinese troops to aid North Korea. Although the decision-making process was tortuous and the motives changed along the way, the fundamental purpose of the Chinese was to gain Stalin's trust and use the deterrence of the Sino-Soviet alliance and Soviet assistance to stabilize the nascent revolutionary regime and safeguard China's national security. The factor that influenced China's decision-making the most was the Sino-Soviet relationship.