Due to its geographical location between Russia and China, Mongolia has always been of strategic importance to both of its two giant neighbours. In particular, its relations with China have deep historical roots as throughout recorded history nomadic Mongols and sedentary Chinese interacted constantly. The Mongol conquest of the Eurasian continent in the thirteenth century and establishment of the Mongol Yuan dynasty in China brought the two peoples close together. However, it was the establishment of the Manchu Ch'ing [Qing] rule in China in the seventeenth century that led to the beginning of a new era in the history of Mongolia [then known as outer Mongolia]. For, it was during this period that the Mongols of outer Mongolia were brought into submission to the Ch'ing rule. With the fall of this last dynastic rule following the Chinese revolution in 1911, Outer Mongolia, first with the support of Tsarist Russia and later with that of Soviet Russia, declared itself independent to be proclaimed as the Mongolian People's Republic in 1924. In the following years Chinese claim of its "lost territory" remained intact even after 1946 when the MPR was recognized as an independent state by the KMT government. The period that followed has been marked by ups and downs at several fronts in the relations between the MPR and the PRC due to former's existence as a Soviet satellite. The Sino-Soviet rivalry during the Cold War period has had direct bearing on Mongolia so much so that Ulaanbaatar closely reflected the Soviet line in its attitude towards Peking. Nevertheless, the Sino-Soviet rapprochement in the 1980s finally led to the normalisation of Mongolia-China relations. A new phenomenon emerged in the two countries' relationship after disintegration of the erstwhile Soviet Union that allowed China to fill the power vacuum in Mongolia. The book not only traces the historical roots of Mongolia-China relations but also analyses the extent and pattern of the diverse relations between the two countries in the modern and contemporary times. It examines various circumstances leading to incorporation of inner Mongolia into China as an autonomous region. While dealing with the Cold War period, the book delves into the impact of Sino-Soviet rivalry on the entire gamut of Mongolia-China relations and highlights key factors that adversely affected their relations. The book brings into focus the shift in Moscow's China policy following Gorbachev's Vladivostok initiative and its positive impact on the normalisation of Mongolia-China relations, thus throwing fresh light on post-socialist Mongolia's security concerns in the new geo-strategic set up.
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