Major States 999
The talks were resumed in January 1970, but a stalemate was reached early in the
negotiations. China demanded troop withdrawals from the border as a condition for
settlement, but Russia worried that this would leave its border unprotected. Hos-
tile language between the two countries continued through 1970, but militarized
incidents waned.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from March 2, 1969. End Date changed from
December 13, 1969.
MID#364
Dispute Number: 364
Date(s): March 14, 1974 to September 14, 1974
Participants: 710 China/365 Russia
Outcome (and Settlement): Released (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: China detained a Soviet helicopter and its three-person crew after it landed
on March 14, 1969, under the assumption that the crew was engaged in espionage. The
Soviets maintained that the helicopter had been on a medical evacuation mission and
had run out of fuel and gotten lost. A series of exchanges followed but negotiations
never took place. The prisoners were finally released in late December 1975.
Coding changes: Outcome changed from Released.
MID#2713
Dispute Number: 2713
Date(s): November 1974
Participants: 365 Russia/710 China
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: 1–25 deaths
Narrative: The London Daily Telegraph reported that Soviet and Chinese forces
clashed five separate times in November 1974. The troops engaged each other on the
Chinese frontier in Outer Mongolia, approximately 1,000 miles from Peking, China’s
capital. Both governments denied the conflict.
Coding changes: Dropped from the dispute: 712 Mongolia. Start Date changed from
December 1974. End Date changed from December 1974.
Fatalities changed from Missing.
MID#2714
Dispute Number: 2714
Date(s): July 1977 to August 5, 1977
Participants: 710 China/365 Russia
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: Chinese sources reported that in early July 1977, six armed Soviet
spies crossed the Xinjiang border. In a clash with local militia, one Soviet died, one