Name:Dong Yingjun  Student ID：S06255
Research paper supervisor:Dr.Seku Conde
Minzu University of China
2007-2008 Academic Year

 
Abstract
The relations between China and Vietnam are full of twists and turns since they established diplomatic relations more than 50 years ago. Although both of them are communist countries and their ruling parties both believe in communism, the changes of Sino-Vietnamese relations are according to their own national interests. From the Sino-Vietnamese relations we could find out that China develops its relationships with the other communist counties basing on its own state interests. There is no essential difference between the foreign policy that China carried out to the other communistic states and the non-communistic states. From the development of the Sino-Vietnamese relations we also could find out that the influence of communism on the international relationships has been trending down gradually.
 
 
Key Words: China, Vietnam, Sino-Vietnamese Relations, Communist Countries
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contents
1. A Brief Introduction to Vietnam & Its Foreign Policy. 3
1.1 A Brief Introduction to Vietnam.. 3
1.2 Vietnam’s Foreign Policy. 4
2. The Transformations of Sino-Vietnamese Relations. 5
2.1 From 1950 to 1975, China had built a very friendly relationship with Vietnam. 5
2.2 From 1976 to 1991, China and Vietnam took hostilities with each other. 6
2.3 From 1991 to Now, Sino-Vietnamese relations have been normalized. 8
3. Conclusion. 9
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. A Brief Introduction to Vietnam & Its Foreign Policy
1.1 A Brief Introduction to Vietnam
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. To the north, Vietnam is bordered on Yunnan and Guangxi province of China; to the northwest, it is bordered on Laos; to the southwest, it is bordered on Cambodia; to the east, it is adjacent to the South China Sea. Vietnam has a population of over 83.11 million (2005)[①]. Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world. Vietnam’s area is about 128,006 square meters and it has 57 Provinces. Vietnam’s Capital is Hanoi, and its main city also includes Haiphong, Danang, Ho Chi Minh City, etc. Vietnam’s official language is Vietnamese language[②].
Vietnam has an age-old and special culture that is closely attached to the history of the formation and development of the nation. Apparently Vietnam’s traditional culture is very similar to China’s. Vietnamese culture was enriched by the influence of Chinese culture developed from centuries to centuries. Buddhism and Confucianism entered Vietnam in Dai Viet and brought with them many popular cultural features and distinct forms. Actually Vietnam was under Chinese control for a thousand years before becoming a nation-state in 968 A.D. In this year, when the dynasty in central China was busy with the unification of the country, Vietnamese had won their freedom and built up an independent state named Dai Viet. The country was under the ruling of many national feudal dynasties, among which the most important ones are the Ly Dynasty (11th and 12th century), the Tran Dynasty (13th and 14th century), the Le Dynasty (15th, 16th and 17th century) with their centralized administration, strong army forces and a highly developed economy and culture[③].
Vietnam was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed in 1884. Vietnam became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnamese’s Efforts to resist the French never stopped.
After World War II, Japanese invaders were expulsed from Vietnam. In September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh sonorously read the Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. But the French didn’t want to give way to Vietnamese. They sent army to Indochina again and continued to rule Vietnam.
In 1954, French was defeated by the Communist forces under Ho Chi Minh, who took control of the North. From May 8 to July 21, 1954, the Geneva Conference was held by many countries and the conference agreed to end hostilities and restore peace in French Indochina and Vietnam. It produced a set of treaties known as the Geneva Accords, signed on behalf of France by Pierre Mendès-France and of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam by Pham Van Dong[④].
As a matter of fact, Vietnam was divided politically into two countries on the Geneva Conference. Bitter fighting between the two sides continued. United States supported South Vietnam government with economic and military aid through the 1960s. After a long and bitter Vietnam War, United States’ armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South. On April 25, 1976, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was renamed into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, which governs both northern and southern parts in its territory. For the first time Vietnam became a unified and independent country since mid-19th century[⑤].
Although return to the peace, Vietnam experienced little economic growth in 1970s and 1980s because of conservative leadership policies. In 1986, The 6th Congress of the Vietnam Communist Party decided to institute economic and political reforms (Doi Moi), tried to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. By 2000, Vietnam’s economic growth had been among the highest in the world in the past decade. In 2006, Vietnam joining the World Trade Organization, which will gave Vietnam a great opportunity[⑥].
1.2 Vietnam’s Foreign Policy
Vietnam’s foreign policy assures cooperation with other countries in the integration process, and at the same time secures independence, sovereignty, national security, and national identity. Key aspects of Vietnam’s foreign policy[⑦]:
(1) Consider the people the root of everything else, rely on the people, and carry out the people’s diplomacy.
(2) Firmly keep the principle of independence and sovereignty in foreign affairs.
(3) Hold the flag of patriotism and justice high to encourage people inside and outside the country to unite all forces that love peace and progress.
(4) Give prominence to humanity and the traditional humanitarianism of the Vietnamese culture, be on friendly terms, and do not harbor thoughts of revenge.
(5) Always consider Vietnam as part of the world to combine the power of the nation and the power of the era aimed at meeting the demand of each period that national interest requires.
Vietnam joined the UN in 1977, became member of the Non-aligned Movement in the 1970s. Vietnam has also become member of the Pacific Economic Co-operation Council (PECC) and started to take part in the activities of the Pacific Board of Economic Council (PBEC). At present, Vietnam has become member of APEC and the WTO. Vietnam’s prestige and international responsibility have been increased significantly[⑧].
Vietnam today has established diplomatic relations with nearly 170 countries, including all world major powers. Vietnam has trade relations with 165 countries and territories, signed trade agreements with 76 countries and Most Favored Nation status with 72 countries and territories. Apart from strengthening bilateral relations, Vietnam also continuously improves its relations with international and regional organizations such as United Nations, European Union, ASEAN, and ASEM, thus making positive contributions to the activities of these organizations in accordance with Vietnam’s national strengths and interests[⑨].
2. The Transformations of Sino-Vietnamese Relations
On January 18, 1950, Vietnam established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, so China became the first country to recognize the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. At that time, hardly any countries recognized that Vietnam is an independent country. Since then, China and Vietnam’s relationship has experienced several transformations.
2.1 From 1950 to 1975, China had built a very friendly relationship with Vietnam.
After Vietnam established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1950, Sino-Vietnamese relations got closer and closer. In May 1963, chairman of the PRC Liu Shaoqi visited Vietnam. Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh held royal ceremony to welcome him. On the ceremony, Ho Chi Minh made a poem to describe the friendship between China and Vietnam: “China and Vietnam has a deep friendship, just like comrades and brothers.”[⑩]
Why had China developed a deep friendship with Vietnam? I think the main reasons are as follows.
The first reason is that the two countries’ leaders had favorable personal relationships. The new Chinese leaders have built and maintained a good relationship with Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh played an important role in Sino-Vietnamese relations. When Ho Chi Minh was young, he traveled abroad to find the way to save the country. In Europe, he met Zhou Enlai, who was the important leader of China Communist Party. Later Ho Chi Minh laid the foundations for the Vietnam Communist Party, which was founded on February 3, 1930. Under the leadership of the Communist Party, the Vietnamese people rose up against French colonization and Japanese occupation, organized the Great National Uprising in August 1945 and established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. The newly born Democratic Republic of Vietnam had to be confronted with aggressive schemes and intervention of France. To strive against French, Ho Chi Minh went to China many times to learn from China Communist Party. After the People’s Republic of China was founded, Ho Chi Minh went to China frequently. Ho Chi Minh was well up in Chinese language and could communicate with others fluently in Chinese. So in these years, Ho Chi Minh had made well friendships with Mao Zedong, Zhou [...]

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