The enduring frontier defences challenge any assumption that communist states automatically trusted one another. During the Cold War, China and the Soviet Union placed divisions of artillery along the border, and their disputes sometimes became open combat. One bombardment was so intense that American observers initially thought their instruments had registered a nuclear test. The Sino-Soviet split was a military reality measured in fortifications and firepower, not merely an argument between party leaders.
Notable Point · 52:31-53:18
The Sino-Soviet Border Was Not a Friendly Frontier
Ideological alignment did not prevent China and the Soviet Union from fortifying their frontier and fighting violent border clashes.