Korea - Communist China's Biggest Blunder

Whispering Death

Active member
I believe that support for North Korea was the biggest strategic blunder for Communist China. North Korea came to China and asked them for arms and equipment for reunification. China thought the U.S. would not fight in Korea and gave N.Korea lots and lots of weapons. The war ended in what basically was a stalemate with a bunch of Chinese men and equipment destroyed on the pennensula.

Now here's the twist, before the Korean war the U.S. had written off Taiwan as indefencible and that the United States should just let China take it over. However, with the onset of the Korean war, Truman pulled a 180 on the Taiwan issue and declared that Taiwan must be defended or else America would look impotent in the region.

So let's recap. Because of their decision to begin the Korean war China was devestated militarily and lost what they really wanted, a re-unification with Taiwan. Fifty years later the U.S. has put over 1/5th of its entire lifespan into defending Taiwan and will now not lightly give up that herritige.
 
what do u mean?u mean,the US guys will protect taiwan ?I believe
that will be a nightmare for US.
As a chinese,I can say,no matter how many people we die,we will
get it back.
 
same here brother, we wont care how much as long as our terrotory is ours

look, you americans take the korean war as something chinese did stupidly.

well, it was really a feeling of hatred towards u guys cuz it seems ur about to release imperalism again on asia, thereby we had to protect our homeland form foreign invasion
 
First off, let's be warry of getting too emotional here, this is an OBJECTIVE discussion about the historical facts surrounding the relationship between Taiwan and the Korean War. If you have a problem seperating your personal feelings from an objective discussion then I suggest you find another thread to voice your opinion in.

I will not allow my thread to devolve into "I'm right about Taiwan" "NO I'M RIGHT ABOUT TAIWAN."

So let's stay on topic here guys, what are your intellectual reactions to my theory?

Now let me respond to the parts of these posts that are pertainate.

ironface said:
what do u mean?u mean,the US guys will protect taiwan ?

Now this can easily draw us off topic so let's not discuss this any further in this thread, but addressing this mindset is pertinate because this viewpoint is exactly what Mao thought when he greenlighted the invasion of N.Korea.

Mech said:
look, you americans take the korean war as something chinese did stupidly.

I don't think that the Chinese took it stupidly, I do, however, believe it is a matter of imperical fact that Mao miscalculated that the Americans would not interfere in Korea. It has been said that the Communist nations where played chess and the Americans where playing Poker so the Chinese had a hard time discerning where the U.S. was bluffing and where they would call.
 
mao had his lil red book

hujintao has his red power tie

no matter how or what you want to believe, our new laws has obligated the government to attack taiwan if it rebels.
 
THIS IS NOT ABOUT PRESENT DAY

It is completely irrelevent what China will do about Taiwan now, you're about 50 years off from the time period this thread concerns.

I am kindly pleading with you not to drag my thread off topic again.
 
lol sry, but the topic has turned into a heated taiwan discussion again

well moving on


blunder you say eh??? i have already told u my points, it is about protecting ones country from another possible foreign attack
 
You understand my point do you not? According the the Truman Doctorine and coorborated by declassified corespondence, President Truman had absolutely no interest in interfearing in the Taiwan issue prior to the Korean war. Due to that war America felt like it was losing geo-politically and Truman decided that if he lost Taiwan too, America would look imponent in the asian region.

So therefore, it is my conclusion that the Korean war was a blunder because had Mao not supported the unification policy of Korea it is a foreseable consequence that the U.S. would have no intrest in interfearing in the Taiwan issue.

If it is any consolation to you Chinese, I think it is more noble for the Chinese to want unification than the American ambitions of securing their foothold in the region. I include this opinion not to spark an ethical debate about Taiwan, but rather to help you Chinese understand that the motive for this thread is an objective one.
 
China's decision about N.Korea was not a blunder. The Chinese had reasons for moving into N. Korea after the US/UN forces crosses the 38th parallel.
Most of the hydro-electric power that China recieved in the north-east was from N.Korea. It was essential for China to keep N. Korea or unified Korea in communits hands, but once it felt that the UN forces would capture the north, they decided to move in to safe guard their intrests. In that sense China achieved their aim in keeping the buffer of N. Korea intact. The blunder was committed by the US/UN forces when they crossed the 38th parallel. This got the chinese involved directly.
 
Again, I am being misunderstood.

I am talking about the Chinese decision to greenlight the N.Korean invasion of S.Korea. N.Korea would never have launched the invasion without the Chinese backing so it was Mao's call on what would happen on the Pennensula.
 
Whispering Death said:
I am talking about the Chinese decision to greenlight the N.Korean invasion of S.Korea. N.Korea would never have launched the invasion without the Chinese backing so it was Mao's call on what would happen on the Pennensula.
About that you are right. The N. Korean invasion brought the US to the Korean penensula back again. The US had completely withdrawn their units after WW2 from Korean.
Support for the N.Korean invasion was a Chinese blunder.
 
i agree it was a mistake, now its gonna be hard to get taiwan politically, and impossible to get it militarily for china
 
lol, we are not going to sit back and relax whole you gobble up nk, which is more dangerous than taiwan

its about piorities man, from nk you can attack china pretty badly, from a little island you are doing something quite impossible

besides, when ur about to be invaded and nuked, would you care more about that or rebel territory
 
Again, Chinese intervention after America had gotten up to the Yalu river was a strategically sound decision.

This thread deals with the decision years before that in which China gave the green light to N.Korea to invade the South.

Jesus Christ, am I being this incoherent? Why is that the Australian is the only one who can understand the point of this thread?
 
Whispering Death said:
Again, Chinese intervention after America had gotten up to the Yalu river was a strategically sound decision.

This thread deals with the decision years before that in which China gave the green light to N.Korea to invade the South.

Jesus Christ, am I being this incoherent? Why is that the Australian is the only one who can understand the point of this thread?


i got it too....the long term effect of the korean war....US support of taiwan.

i thought it was a well thought out question whispering
 
I...

I concur. Wisperingdeath, it is a well thoughtout topic and you were right, eventhough I am from China.
 
Whispering Death hit the nail on the head. Prior to the start of the Korean War, Truman had identified Japan and the Philippines as being part of the American Pacific defense strategy. Taiwan and South Korea were left out. As such, Mao and Stalin both felt that South Korea could be taken quickly without US intervention. Afterward, Mao would be free to invade the ROC. However, shortly after the NK attack, Truman sent a carrier task force from the US Navy 7th Fleet through the Formosa Strait. Navy fighters even practiced landing on Taiwanese air bases, and I think they might have turned over some aircraft to the ROC Air Force as well, I'm not sure. The message was clear: the United States would defend the Republic of China. Mao's plans were put on hold, and he wouldn't even try to invade until 1957.
 
well, i just want to point out a news that CNN reported a week ago, interstingly, it's about the americans "live no man behind". the story was that a plane was lost at the korean in a fight. years after the war, nobody fround the remaining in korea. then, a twist, when a chinese family brought a piece of land in the hill side and start building the house, they found an old plane in an hole in the ground and a dog tag... so, years after the war, a mistrey finally have a good end..... well, how does the plane end up in china? to me, one thing that is quite clear, the UN army is really close or have crossed the chinese border. nobody imagined that china could enter the war at that time, but surely, no one ruled out the U.N would stop at the chinese border neither. it's metter of live and death to us when china entered that war, i can't see the the samilar situation apply in Taiwan, really.
 
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