The Origin and Development of Communist Chinese Foreign Policy Toward Southeast Asia Until 1955

This project will examine the background and development of Communist China's foreign policy towards Southeast Asia up until 1955. 1955 is significant because it was the year of the Afro-Asian Bandung Conference which culminated a major phase of Communist Chinese foreign policy. The term Southeast Asia is meant to include North and South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos (all parts of French Indochina until 1958), Thailand, Burma, Malaya, and Indonesia. The Philippines are also frequently regarded as part of this area but under Spanish and American rule their development has differed significantly from the rest of the region. For this reason, and because they have played a decidedly secondary role in Communist foreign policy, the Philippines are not included directly in this study.