ABSTRACT
The creation of a vast military infrastructure in the Soviet far east in the early 1970s and the building of the new railway line have rendered the problem manageable. The Cultural Revolution is part of history, and there is no evident nostalgia in China for the period, but the Soviet leaders are aware of China's economic and social tensions and must worry about failures in domestic policy creating renewed political turmoil and even a revived interest in neighbourhood confrontation. The description of Soviet attitudes thus far has largely centred on a possible Chinese threat to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Before examining the Soviet Union's ability to make concessions it is worth noting the difficulties that might be faced, even with the best will in the world, in organizing conventional disarmament in the area. Soviet forces are more confined, whereas Chinese could move in and out of an arms control guidelines area.
