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Laying Blame for Flight and Fight: Sino-Soviet Relations and the “Yi–Ta” Incident in Xinjiang, 1962
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 January 2019
Abstract
In spring 1962, 60,000 individuals fled from northern Xinjiang into the Soviet Union. Known as the “Yi–Ta” incident, the mass exodus sparked a major flare up in Sino-Soviet relations. This article draws on declassified Chinese and Russian-language archival sources and provides one of the first in-depth interpretations of the event and its aftermath. It argues that although the Chinese government blamed the Soviet Union for the Yi-Ta incident, leaders in Beijing and Xinjiang also recognized the domestic roots of the disturbance, such as serious material deficits in northern Xinjiang and tensions between minority peoples and the party-state. The Chinese government's diplomatic sparring with Moscow over the mass exodus reflected Mao Zedong's continued influence on Chinese foreign policy, despite claims by scholars that Mao had retreated from policymaking during this period.
摘要
在 1962 年的春天, 六万人从新疆北部逃到了苏联。这个大量民众迁移的事件被称之为 “伊塔事件”, 其导致了中苏关系的骤变。本文通过使用已解密的中文、俄文档案来提供对本事件同其后续影响的第一手深度解读。本文试图证明虽然中国政府在 “伊塔事件” 上责备了苏联, 但是北京和新疆的领导人也认识到本事件的国内因素, 如物质资源的严重匮乏和党政与少数民族之间的紧张关系。尽管一些学者声称毛泽东在此时期已经不再过问中国外交政策的制定, 但中国政府与莫斯科就此事件的争论反映了毛泽东对中国外交政策的持续性影响。
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- Copyright © SOAS University of London 2019
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