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"Preparedness Eliminates Mishaps": The CCP's Security Concerns in 1949-1950 and the Origins of Sino-American Confrontation

"Preparedness Eliminates Mishaps": The CCP's Security Concerns in 1949-1950 and the Origins of... The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) policy toward the United States in 1949-50 played an important role in kicking off a new stage of the Cold War in Asia. Before achieving nationwide victory over the Kuomintang (KMT), CCP leaders openly claimed that the United States was the most dangerous enemy to the new China. Convinced that American military intervention was likely at some future time, they resolved upon preparations for the long-term contingency. A battleground to confront perceived American military threat was thus established. To understand the origins of Sino-American confronta- tion, the security concerns and strategic thinking of CCP leaders de- serve a reappraisal.' I Why did the CCP leadership choose to confront the United States? Party Chairman Mao Zedong's understanding of "preparedness elim- inating mishaps" (youbei wuhuan) may be a useful analytic frame of reference. "As to the moment for starting the preparation," Mao commented in 1936 on how to be prepared for a large-scale Japanese invasion, "the general advice is better too early than too late ... the advantage of early preparation lies in that preparedness eliminates mishaps and places us in a fundamentally invincible position."2 Given the endless uncertainties, both domestic and foreign, during this http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of American-East Asian Relations Brill

"Preparedness Eliminates Mishaps": The CCP's Security Concerns in 1949-1950 and the Origins of Sino-American Confrontation

Journal of American-East Asian Relations , Volume 1 (1): 42 – Jan 1, 1992

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References (2)

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1058-3947
eISSN
1876-5610
DOI
10.1163/187656192X00096
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) policy toward the United States in 1949-50 played an important role in kicking off a new stage of the Cold War in Asia. Before achieving nationwide victory over the Kuomintang (KMT), CCP leaders openly claimed that the United States was the most dangerous enemy to the new China. Convinced that American military intervention was likely at some future time, they resolved upon preparations for the long-term contingency. A battleground to confront perceived American military threat was thus established. To understand the origins of Sino-American confronta- tion, the security concerns and strategic thinking of CCP leaders de- serve a reappraisal.' I Why did the CCP leadership choose to confront the United States? Party Chairman Mao Zedong's understanding of "preparedness elim- inating mishaps" (youbei wuhuan) may be a useful analytic frame of reference. "As to the moment for starting the preparation," Mao commented in 1936 on how to be prepared for a large-scale Japanese invasion, "the general advice is better too early than too late ... the advantage of early preparation lies in that preparedness eliminates mishaps and places us in a fundamentally invincible position."2 Given the endless uncertainties, both domestic and foreign, during this

Journal

Journal of American-East Asian RelationsBrill

Published: Jan 1, 1992

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