Essay: Why Did China Enter The Korean War

Introduction Just as the newly established People’s Republic of China was still struggling to rebuild its devastated economy, Chinese leaders surprised the world as they intervened in the Korean War. Why did the People Republic of China enter the Korean War? Derived from mobilization statistics and secondary sources, three main arguments are developed in the essay. In brief, the major shift in Chinese military focus and mobilization of troops to Sino-Korean borders after U.S. intervention and the content debated in Politburo meetings indicates the importance of national security in Chinese Communist Party’s decision making. Moreover, Mao Zedong revealed his personal interest to intervene in his influential speech before the Politburo meeting and his deliberate enlargement of the meeting by recruiting more advocates. Lastly, the Chinese Communist Party viewed the Korean Crisis as an opportunity for achieving domestic political

To begin with, Zhang Xiao-Ming acknowledges the strategic importance of Korea to Chinese state security. Agreeing with Zhang, Chen Jian points out Chinese leaders’ fear of Korea being occupied by the U.S. and China’s fast mobilization to the Sino-Korean border after the outbreak of the war. In addition, W.A.C Adie identified it as Mao’s “idea of military heroism” which resulted in his determination to intervene militarily in the Korean Crisis. Such determination corresponds with Chen and Stueck William Whitney’s explanation of Mao’s influential speech before the CCP Politburo meetings and his insistence on persuading other members to support him. Lastly, Xiao-Bing Li agrees with Chen, who argues that the intervention was intended to “safeguard China’s prestige and international interest” and at the same time, enhance domestic/international recognition and authority the Chinese Communist Party holds over