ABSTRACT
This chapter views two major points of rivalry-competing Soviet and Chinese policies toward Vietnam and Korea. One of the critical issues facing analysts of Chinese affairs remains the determination of the likelihood of significant change in the foreign policy of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Viewed from Beijing's perspective, the fundamental difficulties in Sino-Soviet relations can be explained by looking at the basic determinants of recent PRC foreign policy. While some PRC officials may hope for such a reduction in Soviet power, sober analysis of the obstacles in Sino-Soviet relations, including their competing interests in Vietnam and Korea, would suggest that such prospects are remote. The PRC probably also calculates that its threats deepen Vietnam's dependence on the USSR. A distinct coolness in Sino-North Korean relations began to emerge by 1978, coincident with the rapid forward movement in Beijing's relations with the United States and Japan and resulting moderation in the PRC anti-U.S.
