This is a pathbreaking, in-depth account of China's role in Vietnam's wars against France and the United States. It is a meticulously documented, carefully balanced, and well-written work, which will stand for some time as the definitive work on the subject. Zhai draws on wide range of Chinese sources made available during the 1980s and 1990s. These include documents Zhai personally collected at the Jiangsu provincial archives, including reports on Vietnam conveyed to Jiangsu by the Foreign Affairs Office of the State Council at annual conferences between 1958 and 1966.