WI: Second Sino-Vietnamese War in the 1980's?

[Kubo Caskett]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Vietnamese_conflicts_1979%E2%80%9390

Like how would a round 2 between Vietnam and China occur sometime in the 1980's?

[Kubo Caskett]

Bump, any input?

[MinnesotaNationalist]

I have a feeling a 1980's China-Vietnam war would see America support Vietnam, just because China is the bigger threat. That's all I really got.

[Kubo Caskett]

Jun 20, 2016 0:31:00 GMT MinnesotaNationalist said:

I have a feeling a 1980's China-Vietnam war would see America support Vietnam, just because China is the bigger threat. That's all I really got.

With the Cold War heating up during that time, I highly doubt that would happen, given the frustration from the withdrawal from the Vietnam War. In fact the USA would be more worried about the USSR going to war against China over the border issue with Vietnam given that the USSR and Vietnam are allies by then.

[orvillethird]

Jun 20, 2016 0:31:00 GMT MinnesotaNationalist said:

I have a feeling a 1980's China-Vietnam war would see America support Vietnam, just because China is the bigger threat. That's all I really got.

I see it the other way, as the US was still demonizing Vietnam and opening up to the PRC, despite the PRC being worse.
Border disputes (by land or at sea) would be a good cause.

[huojin]

US non-involvement is far more likely. It has virtually nothing to gain from the entire conflict. And I'd probably predict a favourable result for the Vietnamese, too. Serious devastation, of course, but a pro-Chinese regime seems unlikely.

[Kubo Caskett]

Jun 21, 2016 21:06:53 GMT huojin said:

US non-involvement is far more likely. It has virtually nothing to gain from the entire conflict. And I'd probably predict a favourable result for the Vietnamese, too. Serious devastation, of course, but a pro-Chinese regime seems unlikely.

Then again the Chinese might be able to defeat Vietnam and install a puppet regime given the advantage in numbers China obviously has; but then again China might have it's Vietnam War both figuratively and literally. Not a good recipe for a regime that during that time is going through some significantly radical economic reforms from a socialistic model to one that closely resembles capitalism.

[Kubo Caskett]

I just learned from a book on the border conflicts called Deng's Long War in that the leadership had no reason to pursue a "second lesson" to inflict on Vietnam; meaning they had no intention of waging another war in their lifetime probably due to the economic reforms at the time.