Chen Jian is Professor of the History of US-China Relations at Cornell University.

• Preface to the Paperback Edition Acknowledgments Abbreviations Map of China Map of Korea and China's NortheastIntroductionPart One. The Emergence of a Revolutionary Power1. Revolutionary Commitments and Security Concerns: New China Faces the WorldPart Two. Friends and Enemies: A Stage Set for Confrontation2. The Recognition Controversy: The Origins of the Sino-American Confrontation 3. "Learning to One Side": The Formation of the Sino-Soviet Alliance 4. Taiwan, Indochina, and Korea: Beijing's Confrontation with the U.S. EscalatesPart Three. The Road to Intervention5. Beijing's Response to the Outbreak of the Korean War 6. After Inchon: The Making of the Decision 7. The Decision Stands the Test: China Crosses the YaluConclusions Notes Bibliography Index

Since 1950, Western military planners, journalists, and scholars have tried to determine the role of China and the Soviet Union in the outbreak of the Korean conflict. Through the use of recently released Chinese documents, conversations with People's Republic of China scholars, and in-depth interviews with people who were present at key decision-making meetings, Chen Jian has been able to furnish answers to some of the most nagging questions. Choice Chen's China's Road to the Korean War... is the most carefully researched and seriously argued discussion of the subject. -- Warren I. Cohen The Nation