Reply #20: True, and remember that China and Russia fought border wars. [View All]

[Xithras]

The nation of Mongolia only exists because the USSR wanted it as a buffer with China (Mongolia had been part of China proper since the 1600's, and was intermittently under their rule since the 1200's). China made land claims running well into Russian Siberia in the north, and nearly to the Caspian Sea in the west.

Mao, in addition to being a dedicated communist, was staunchly anti-colonialist. His position was understandable given China's history with colonialism. He always believed that the USSR was simply the next of a long line of colonial powers trying to control China, and cited the USSR's "occupation" of Chinese lands as an example of that.

The USSR loved its client-states. China had no interest in becoming a Russian client-state, so the two nations rarely got along.