Asia 829
Fatalities: 101–250 deaths
Narrative: Chinese sources reported that from January 1 through 12, 1984, Vietnam-
ese forces fired machine guns, antiaircraft machine guns, and rifles at Chinese citizens
and opened fire on Chinese villages. On July 12, a large-scale Vietnamese incursion
resulted in a 10-hour clash. That evening China began to fortify the border to protect
from another attack.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from January 14, 1984. Fatalities changed from
Missing.
MID#3622
Dispute Number: 3622
Date(s): December 21, 1984 to February 5, 1986
Participants: 710 China/816 Vietnam
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: Missing
Narrative: On January 9, 1985, China rejected Vietnams ceasefire proposal along the
Sino-Vietnamese border because they said that it was an attempt to mask Vietnamese
acts of aggression. Then, on February 11, China began a new drive of military attacks
on Vietnamese border provinces. These attacks were reciprocation for Vietnamese
attacks, though the Vietnamese denied the incidents. Chinese artillery attacks resulted
in the destruction of Vietnamese villages, loss of lives and property, and both the
Chinese and Vietnamese reported skirmishes and violations along the border for the
next year. On February 5, 1986, China called Vietnams call for a ceasefire “meaning-
less,” and it followed China’s placement of its armed forces on alert the day before.
However, a de facto ceasefire followed.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from January 9, 1985. End Date changed from
February 6, 1986.
MID#3628
Dispute Number: 3628
Date(s): October 15, 1986 to March 15, 1987
Participants: 710 China/816 Vietnam
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (Negotiated)
Fatalities: >999 deaths
Narrative: China and Vietnam had a brief conflict beginning in October 1986, again
over the role Vietnam had in Cambodian affairs. This episode’s fighting centered
on Ha Tuyen province in Vietnam and the Yunnan province in China. China fired
approximately 35,000 shells into Vietnam and conducted three separate division-sized
raids into Vietnam. Fighting intensified further in January 1987 as Taiwan launched
15 separate division-sized raids. Losses were high for both, with Vietnam claiming
more than 1,500 Chinese killed, while China provided numbers about one-third that
size. The Vietnamese proposed talks in January, but China said that it refused to nego-
tiate while Vietnamese forces continued to occupy Cambodia. The conflict continued
the next year.