China's relationship with foreign powers changed over time.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] In 1954, India and China signed an eight-year agreement on Tibet called 'Panch Shila'.
2. [1] There were cultural exchanges between India and China.
3. [1] In 1954, India published maps showing the border between India and China.
4. [1] In 1959, the Chinese stated that the borders were incorrect and much ‘Indian land' was in fact Chinese.
5. [1] In 1959, the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan refugees fled to India.
6. [1] In 1962, there was a brief war on the border which China won.
7. [1] There were small communist risings in India, supported by China.
8. [1] China supported Pakistan in the war with India in 1965.
9. [1] During the Vietnam War, China provided arms, military training and supplies to the North.
10. [1] This support was dependent on the North Vietnamese refusing all Soviet aid.
11. [1] There was tension because the Vietnamese Communist Party wanted to develop their own approach.
12. [1] China wanted Vietnam to follow a similar path to China.
13. [1] Tensions arose when Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1976.
14. [1] The relationship deteriorated when Vietnam signed a treaty of friendship with the USSR.
15. [1] In 1979, fighting broke out when China attacked North Vietnam.
16. [1] Peace talks were held at the end of 1979, but these broke down.
17. [1] China had supported Vietnam but relations broke down in the 1970s.
18. [4-5] Relations between China and Vietnam became tense because Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1976. This was seen as a threat by China which was afraid that Vietnam would become a threat on its southern border at a time when it felt threatened also by the USSR in the North. To make matters worse, Vietnam signed a treaty of friendship with the USSR. This was all at a time when Sino-Soviet relations were deteriorating.
19. [1] In February 1956, Khrushchev denounced Stalin and Mao was angry about this.
20. [1] The terms of the 1950 Treaty of Friendship meant China was exploited economically.
21. [1] Mao and Khrushchev clashed.
22. [1] In July 1959, Khrushchev criticised the Great Leap Forward.
23. [1] There were armed clashes between Soviet and Chinese troops along the Amur River.
24. [1] In 1960, the Soviet government withdrew all Russian technicians from China.
25. [1] Mao disagreed with Khrushchev as he thought 'peaceful coexistence' was a weak policy.
26. [1] Sino-Soviet relations changed because there was competition between the two leaders.
27. [7-9] Differences in ideology were an important cause of the change in relations between China and the USSR. The USSR saw itself as the leading communist nation of the world and thought that China should follow the same path towards communism. However, Mao had other ideas and announced that other communist movements should follow the model of peasant revolution like China. China began to challenge the USSR's leadership of the communist world.
28. [7-9] There were also differences in foreign policy between the two nations. Khrushchev wanted peaceful coexistence between capitalist and communist nations. Mao saw this as weak and had wanted to form a communist bloc which was against the West. The USSR attempted to form better relations with the USA and supported India in border disputes with China.