ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on primary and secondary literature concerning the last three instances when China’s leaders decided to use large-scale military force (i.e., war) to address their foreign policy concerns: China’s intervention in the Korean War in 1950, the 1962 Sino-Indian War, and the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979. The authors trace the diplomatic and military events leading to China’s decision to go to war and make the case that China clearly communicated its threat to use military force under certain conditions in all three instances and followed through on its threats when its demands were not met.
