Authors
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Ha Anh Tuan
Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
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Tran Xuan Hiep
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Duy Tan University
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Le Nam Trung Hieu
History Faculty of Hue University of Sciences, Hue University
Keywords:
Sino-Vietnamese relations, border conflict, balance of threat, Khmer Rouge, security dilemma, dynamic balance
Abstract
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) had been close-knit allies since the the formation of the two states. However, they gradually moved apart in approaches towards regional and international affairs in the late 1960s and 1970s. This paper offers an account for the deterioration of Sino-Vietnamese relations in the 1970s. It is original in the sense that it focuses on exploring the perceptions of Vietnam and China that led to the competition for alliances, which has not been fully addressed in existing literature. This research employs the balance of threat theory in international relations – which argues that states commonly pursue an alliance strategy to balance against perceived threats – as the primary analytical framework to analyse primary and secondary sources and historical documents in Sino-Vietnamese relations. This study’s main finding is that the different perceptions of threats in China and Vietnam has led the two countries .
to pursue balancing strategies to counter these threats. Such balancing acts led
to a situation of security dilemma and it eventually ended up with a period of
turbulent bilateral relations.
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Author Biographies
Ha Anh Tuan, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
Ha Anh Tuan, PhD is a senior researcher at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. He also serves as Managing Director of the Foundation for East Sea (South China Sea) Studies. His research interests include international relations in East Asia, maritime security in East Asia, and Vietnam’s foreign policy. His email address is <tuan.ha@dav.edu.vn>
Tran Xuan Hiep, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Duy Tan University
Tran Xuan Hiep, PhD (Corresponding author), is a researcher of Institute of Socio-Economic Research, and member of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Duy Tan University. His major research domains include general political and international relations issues of the world, Southeast Asian region,
and Vietnam’s international integration. He has published many papers on the above themes such as in Southeast Asian Studies, Journal of Chinese Studies, and India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs. He can be reached at <tranxuanhiep@dtu.edu.vn>.
Le Nam Trung Hieu, History Faculty of Hue University of Sciences, Hue University
Le Nam Trung Hieu, PhD is a lecturer at the History Faculty of Hue University of Sciences, Hue University. He received his PhD in World History conferred by Hue University in 2017. His publications are related to colonialism, Indochina wars, and Vietnam’s foreign policies. His email is <lenamtrunghieu@husc.edu.vn>.
