The Soviet-Chinese border conflict in march 1969 in the interpretation of Chinese historians

The Soviet-Chinese border conflict was an escalation of the contradiction between the two powerful countries and a serious cause of destabilization at all levels of bilateral ties. A number of researchers regard it as a real-life threat of transformation from local opposition due to political differences into a more full-scale armed conflict between the PRC and the USSR. The historiography of the issue being studied in domestic science has been sufficiently developed, but the specifics of the description of the events of 1969 in the border area by Chinese historians have not been studied properly. Interest is also caused by the fact that at that period there was a gradual change in the ideological guidelines related to the formation of the PRC, when scientists faced the task, based on a new methodology, to provide an understanding of history and current events in accordance with “sociocultural innovations”. In addition, Chinese historiography is not sufficiently studied in the context of the reflection of relations with the USSR, which emphasizes the relevance of a detailed and comprehensive analysis of Chinese historical literature on the events in the border area of the Soviet-Chinese territory. The article is devoted to highlighting the features of the interpretation of the 1969 conflict in the territory of Damansky. It reflects the scientific development of the problem being studied, the specificity of the terms used in armed opposition, and the nature of its description. The article provides specific examples of language formulations and expressive means used by Chinese historians to the parties to the conflict, its motives, key events and consequences, which underlines the existence of a single position, which Chinese experts adhere to, describing the Soviet-Chinese armed confrontation on the border in 1969.