ABSTRACT
Three incidents greatly influenced the evolution of the political situation in China after the 1978 Third Plenum. First, Hu Qiaomu joined in an alliance with the "two whatevers" faction to propagate a new "anti-rightist" campaign. Second, on his return from the United States Deng Xiaoping launched a punitive war against Vietnam that he called "a defensive retaliation". Third, Deng became very concerned with his "deeply felt belief in his military genius" when Hua Guofeng made a surprise inspection of military units. Military strategy vis-a-vis Vietnam, the Soviet Union, and Taiwan, and the Chinese-U.S. relationship were some of the closely linked issues Deng had in his head before he left for the United States. Chinese troops entered Vietnamese territory from Guangxi and Yunnan provinces. Deng Xiaoping believed that this offensive would be as easy as the one Mao Zedong launched against India in the 1960s, unfolding as planned and winning the approval of all Chinese people.
