ABSTRACT
Sino-American strategic cooperation is deeply affected by the state of relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union. A Sino-Soviet alliance would pose a serious threat to US interests. In 1980 China allowed the 30-year treaty of friendship to elapse, although it also indicated that Sino-Soviet relations might be improved under certain conditions. In an historical sense, the Sino-Soviet dispute can be seen as a continuation of the China-Russia confrontation which had its origins in the distant past. China, traditionally a major power in East Asia, is attempting to reestablish its role as an arbiter of regional affairs. Chinese and Soviet economic and strategic interests also clash over Japan. Japan is the economic giant of the Far East, possessing capital and technological expertise critical to the development of both Siberia and China.
