« Chinese Borders and Indigenous Parallels : France, Vietnam and the Korean Model », Eurasian Border Review, 2012 (« n° spécial « China’s Post-Revolutionary Borders, 1940s-1960s ») (original) (raw)
The border between China and Vietnam is ancient. France took over from Vietnam at the end of the 19 th century, and the demarcation of this border was a long and difficult process that took place over a period of more than ten years. It was completed in 1896 1 . For the French, Indochina, and particularly Tonkin, was a "balcony over China". But even though France participated in the "westphalization" of the Far East, the country remained haunted by the heritage of the Chinese empire and the "tributary system". In the years 1945-1947, France believed that it had snatched North Vietnam away from Chinese ambitions, returning to a status quo ante. Yet from 1949/50, the Chinese-Vietnamese border and Tonkin saw a struggle with much at stake. We will see how France "lost" this border, and how for France Tonkin became the border of French identity, since it was established as the border of the "free world", of the French Union, and of French virility. Thirdly, and finally, we will see how the "Korean model" influenced the handling of the question of Indochina, the war concluding with the creation of the demarcation at the 17 th parallel, a new "border".
Sign up for access to the world's latest research.
checkGet notified about relevant papers
checkSave papers to use in your research
checkJoin the discussion with peers
checkTrack your impact
Related papers
Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics & Strategic Studies, 2022
This article attempts to explain why China-Vietnam relations, which were based on tributary ties, broke down when France conquered Vietnam in the 19 th century. As such, it traces the history of China-Vietnam-France relations, particularly on the eve of the French invasion of Vietnam, and explores China's efforts to defend the country. This study is significant because it sheds light on the history of the French conquest of Vietnam while it was under the Chinese tributary system. For almost a century, China claimed to have power as a presidential state over Vietnam. However, the French did not acknowledge China's power. Moreover, one by one, the territories of Vietnam were seized and eventually conquered by France. In this study, qualitative content analysis was applied to primary and secondary sources to evaluate the extent to which the tributary system affected and influenced the international external relations between the three countries of the three countries. The study's findings showed that Vietnam had autonomy in theory but was submissive and willingly under China's protection regarding its foreign affairs. However, the French did not recognize the tributary system as a foreign relationship, and they continued to mobilise colonial efforts in Vietnam in the mid-late 19 th century.
The Russian Journal of Vietnamese Studies
The item about border between China and Vietnam is not just a contemporary issue. Its building and its story takes its roots in the past and the colonial period played a major role. This article aims to analyse how the French colonial administration tried to keep order on the Tonkin border. First, the structure of the maintenance of law and order along the border is analysed to better understand how these diverse borderlands areas with a harsh climate and a multi-ethnic population resulted in many issues, giving birth to the challenges of law and order on border. Then, dynamics of cross border criminal activities are studied. The authority of these isolated French colonial troops in the borderlands is usually fragile. In front of this situation, the author will question the colonial administrations response against the threat of cross border criminality. Military actions and police operations are mixed and order and law is kept thanks to an auxiliary force made up of local populatio...
State formation on China’s southern frontier: Vietnam as a shadow empire and hegemon
HumaNetten, 2016
State formation in Vietnam followed an imperial pattern, namely, a process of conquests and annexations typical of an empire. At its peak in the early nineteenth century, the frontier of the Vietnamese empire encompassed much of today’s Cambodia and Laos. This imperial pattern was the basis on which the French built their Indochinese colony and the Vietnamese communist state built its modern hegemony. By re-examining Vietnamese history as that of an empire and hegemon, this paper challenges the nationalist historiography’s assumption about Vietnam’s need for survival from China as the driving force of Vietnamese history. In contrast, I argue that the threat to Vietnamese survival has come less from China than from other states on China’s southern frontier. Vietnam has in fact benefited from a positive synergy with China in much of its premodern and modern history. By situating Vietnamese state formation in the context of mainland Southeast Asia, I hope to correct the tendency in man...
This article analyzes territorial disputes and political relationships at the border between China and Vietnam from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Predominant Western scholarship argues that, owing to the tributary relationship among states and polities, there was no territorial boundary in premodern Asia; furthermore, it suggests, the concept of the “geo-body” of a nation or sovereign state only arose with the transfer of new mapping technology from Europe. This article argues instead that the absence of lines of demarcation on Vietnamese and Chinese maps before the late nineteenth century does not connote a lack of consciousness of the existence of borders. The quest for autonomy throughout history by local communities living between China and Vietnam gave rise to border conflicts, which led to the intervention by and expansion of these two states, as well as negotiations and territorial division between them. The transformation of the China-Vietnam border from a premodern to a modern form thus did not depend solely on its cartographic representation; it also involved the power of the state to control space. Additionally, this article demonstrates that tensions over the border did not simply involve central governments but often resulted from a combination of local conflicts and the complicated relations between local actors and the state. The article suggests a new approach to exploring the history of state borders from the perspective of local people, in which the “in-between communities” are not seen as passive objects of border demarcation but are also a driving force in the establishment of a frontier. While the “in-between communities” discussed in this article were behind conflicts over land and its division into national territories, their manipulations of ethnic identity and transgressive mobility also helped blur the border between the two countries.
China's Protective Diplomacy: Safeguarding Vietnam's Sovereignty Amidst 19th Century Complexities
UKM Press, 2023
During the 19th century, a multifaceted dynamic unfolded among China, Vietnam, and France. France's ambitions to extend colonial control over Vietnam posed a potential threat to China's security and regional stability. This article delves into the historical context, exploring China's diplomatic and military strategies aimed at safeguarding Vietnam from French colonization. By analyzing historical accounts and scholarly sources, the study illuminates China's efforts to preserve Vietnam's sovereignty. Focusing on pivotal events, diplomatic initiatives, and military campaigns undertaken by China, the research sheds light on the perspectives of notable Chinese diplomats, including Zeng Jize, Tang Yanggeng, Chen Baozhen, and Zhang Peilun. The essay underscores China's pivotal role in protecting Vietnam and maintaining regional security concerns. It highlights the intricate nature of managing diplomatic relations with both Vietnam and France, necessitating a delicate balance. Through a comprehensive examination of historical dynamics, this article enriches our understanding of the intricate connections between China, Vietnam, and France during this critical period.
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.
Related papers
Etudes phénoménologiques - Phenomenological Studies, 2021