Li, Sailin;
(2023)
‘Playing the ‘China Card’: US and UK arms sales to China
and triangular diplomacy in the late Cold War, 1969-1991.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This thesis explores US and UK arms sales to China from 1969 to 1991, during the late Cold War period. It examines this triangular interaction in the context of US efforts to use the China ‘card’ to contain Soviet power. The study addresses the objectives and outcomes of US and UK arms sales policies towards China; China's response and its impact on Soviet policy; and last but not least the nature of the Anglo-American ‘special relationship’ in dealing with the thorny issue of arms sales to Communist China. The research examines primary and secondary sources from the US, UK, and China, providing a thorough analysis of Sino-Western cooperation. It particularly highlights the decision-making process, and the balance of conflicting objectives in US and British policies but it also pays due attention to China’s role as much more than a passive actor. Findings reveal a significant degree of US-UK collaboration on arms sales to China, primarily based on informal arrangements, characteristic of the US-UK ‘special relationship’. While both nations aimed to contain Soviet power, the UK mainly pursued economic benefits from the arms trade, while the US focused on strategic objectives. The Chinese government actively sought to exploit divisions in US-UK relations, using the ‘Soviet card’ to its advantage. Despite the limited scale of the UK and US arms trade with China and its relatively minor impact on China’s military capabilities, its political implications were substantial. The thesis therefore contributes to an understanding of the complexities of US-UK arms transfers to Communist China, offering new insights into China's role in the Anglo-American relationship during the late Cold War, set within the geopolitical context of that era.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | ‘Playing the ‘China Card’: US and UK arms sales to China and triangular diplomacy in the late Cold War, 1969-1991 |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2023. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of the Americas |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10182235 |
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