I. Introduction The history of Sino-Soviet relations can be traced back hundreds of years, starting with the initial Mongol invasion and devastation of the Kievan Rus principalities in the mid-13th century. In time, the rise of the Russian Empire and Tsarist rule reversed the infrastructural and cultural destruction caused by the Mongol hordes; by the advent of the twentieth century, the reformed Russian state had begun to encroach on Chinese territory while maintaining a very strong and influential hold on the slowly collapsing Chinese imperial regime. However, with the success of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the creation of the Soviet Union, and the establishment of a communist government and administration, the nature of Sino-Soviet relations transformed, starting with a temporary easing of pressure while Russia faced an intranational conflict conflict. The reorganized international ideology of the Soviet state presented China with notable changes in foreign policy. While China was experiencing a similar internal revolution related to communism and the continuation of the current national government, many Chinese adhered to Soviet principles of denouncing capitalist intentions while promoting ethnic nationalism. Furthermore, the approval of a world revolution led to the development of a friendly relationship between the Soviet government and Chinese nationalist forces; thus, the Soviets urged the Chinese Communist Party to join forces with the nationalists. While this idea was eviscerated by Chiang Kai-Shek with the Shanghai Massacre of 1927, the USSR secretly provided aid to the Communist Party through the COMINTERN until Mao Zedon's declaration of the new People's Republic of China (PRC). .... half of the document ......9 due to the Soviet agenda of pushing for an agreement of principles or a non-aggression pact while the PRC denies the substance of these concessions stating that nothing can be achieved until border the dispute is resolved. Meanwhile, both countries were troubled by each other's relations with the United States: the Soviet Union with Nixon's visit to Beijing in 1972 and China with the development of détente fueled by the Soviet-American Salt I agreements. Furthermore, North Vietnam's victory against the democratic West in the Vietnam War, while a major victory for the communist world, caused a further rift in Sino-Soviet relations as this historically anti-Chinese region surrendered to the Soviets. The 1978 Sino-Japanese Treaty and the 1979 invasion of Vietnam and Afghanistan by China and the Soviet Union, respectively, further widened the Sino-Soviet divide..