China Briefing | US-China tensions: Korean war was a miscalculation. It could happen again with Taiwan
- October marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean war, amid concerns that a miscalculation and disinformation could cause another China-US confrontation
- Taiwan has become the most dangerous flashpoint between the two powers, the other being the disputed South China Sea
Now, as Beijing is making elaborate preparations to mark the 70th anniversary of the war in the context of escalating military tensions between the two countries, the commemoration will have not only historical significance but also practical implications.
Historians may list more than a dozen reasons for China entering the war 70 years ago and why it lasted for nearly three years. But top of the list has to be that miscalculations on both sides contributed to a cruel and brutal war which killed or injured millions of civilians and soldiers while reshaping the international order and freezing bilateral ties for 20 years.
Today, a similar threat is looming as concerns rise that a miscalculation on either side could lead to another military confrontation between the world’s two largest economies, with far-reaching implications for the entire world.
The Chinese government officially called it the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, a just war that China was forced to fight, merely one year after the founding of the People’s Republic.
History textbooks have taught that China was compelled to act after American troops advanced to the border and US bombers started to drop bombs on Chinese border towns.
Fearing a full-scale US invasion, Mao Zedong overcame the opposition of many PLA generals and decided to send 300,000 troops to Korea in the name of defending the homeland.