View source for 2022-23 Sino-Manchurian crisis

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{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = 2022 Sino-Manchurian crisis
| partof      = the [[Sino-Manchurian conflict]] and the [[Second Cold War]]
| image       = 
| date        = {{nowrap|2 January 2022 – 11 April 2023}}<br>({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|2022|01|02|2023|04|11}})
| place       = [[Manchuria]]
| status      = Ongoing
| combatant1  = {{Flagicon|Manchuria}} '''[[Manchuria]]'''<br>'''Suported by:'''<br>{{Flagicon|CAS}} [[Conference of American States]]<br>[[File:Flag of NATO.svg|25px]] [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization|NATO]]<br>[[File:Flag of IPTO.svg|25px]] [[Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization|IPTO]]
| combatant2  = {{Flagicon|China}} '''[[China]]'''<br>'''Suported by:'''<br>[[File:Flag of the CIS.svg|25px]] [[Shanghai Cooperation Organization|SCO]]
| commander1  = {{Flagicon|Manchuria}} '''[[Liu Zhou]]'''<br>{{Flagicon|Manchuria}} [[Yu Qiang]]<br>'''Supported by:'''<br>{{Flagicon|CAS}} [[Johann Hauptsmann]]<br>{{Flagicon|Superior}} [[Isaac Dillon]]<br>{{flagicon|Alaska}} [[Nicolas McCarty]]<br>{{Flagicon|Astoria}} [[Baishan Wallace]]<br>{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Kazuma Amamiya]]
| commander2  = {{Flagicon|China}} '''[[Zhao Meijin]]'''<br>{{Flagicon|China}} [[Wan Kaige]]<br>{{Flagicon|China}} [[Dai Lin]]<br>{{Flagicon|China}} [[Zang Renkai]]<br>[[File:Flag of the CIS.svg|25px]] [[Timur Zhumdilov]]<br>{{Flagicon|China}} [[Jiang Zuobin]]
| strength1   = {{flagicon|Manchuria}} 350,000 Armed Forces, 550,000 Reserve Forces<br>'''Training mission:'''<br>{{Flagicon|Astoria}} 300<br>{{Flagicon|Superior}} 560 (''[[Operation Hawkeye]]'')
| strength2   = {{Flagicon|China}} 3,144,000 Armed Forces, 4,206,000 Reserve Forces<br>175,000–200,000 at the Manchurian border (alleged)
}}
On 2 January 2022, [[China]] amassed around 100,000 soldiers and military equipment on the border with [[Manchuria]], the highest military deployment near Manchuria since the [[Annexation of Rehe Province by the Republic of China|annexation of Rehe Province]] in 2014. This has since instigated a new {{W|International crisis|international crisis}} and is the most tense phase of the ongoing [[Sino-Manchurian conflict|Sino–Manchurian conflict]] since it began. The crisis has garnered significant attention and fears of a potential [[Chinese invasion of Manchuria]]. Satellite imagery from various countries has showed the movements of armored fighting vehicles, artillery, infantry units, missiles and other heavy weaponry. A previous buildup had occurred in August 2021 with 85,000 troops, but they were withdrawn after a new summit was confirmed in December. The crisis led to the start of the Chinese invasion in April 2023.

The buildup occurred sometime after the [[2021 China–Manchuria summit]] in {{W|Seoul}}, [[Korea]], in December which ended in stalemate with the issue of Rehe and its [[Political status of Rehe Province|political status]] causing negotiations to breakdown and no formal agreement every materializing. On January 3, the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China)|Chinese Foreign Ministry]] announced that it would withdraw its military forces from the border in exchange for a legally-binding prohibition on Manchuria joining the [[Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization]] and the removal of [[CAS Forces – Manchuria]], the military mission of the [[Conference of American States]] in Manchuria, from the country. These demands were rejected by the CAS and its member states and have warned of further [[International sanctions during the Manchurian crisis|international sanctions]]. Personal talks between [[Prime Minister of Sierra|Prime Minister]] [[Susan Kwon]] of [[Sierra]] and [[President of the Republic of China|Chinese President]] [[Zhao Meijin]] were held on January 10, and bilateral talks were held between Chinese and CAS delegations on January 14 but both of the attempts failed to de-escalate the crisis. On January 25, Chinese Premier [[Wan Kaige]] and Foreign Minister [[Dai Lin]] met with Prime Minister Susan Kwon and Foreign Minister [[Maggie Chan]] for further discussions about the Chinese proposal. The Sierran delegation announced that its written response to the Chinese draft would be delivered to the Chinese on January 30.

Negotiations continued for months, but at the same time both sides maintained a large presence of troops and China built infrastructure in the border region to allow for a rapid redeployment from the Beijing and Mongolia Military Regions to the Manchurian frontier. The pace of the talks picked up after the summer of 2022, from October to December 2022. During that period both sides briefly cooperated amidst the [[2022 Damascus offensive]] and following [[2022 Damascus airlift|airlift]] from [[Syria]] as the CAS-backed government there collapsed, making commentators believe that a deal on the concerns of both sides was possible. However, no breakthrough was made regardless, and in April 2023 China declared the start of a military operation against Manchuria, sending its troops into the country. The Manchurian crisis has been described by various commentators as the most intense standoff since the end of the [[Cold War]] in the 1990s and early 2000s, along with the [[2021-22 Caribbean diplomatic crisis|Caribbean diplomatic crisis]] that began almost at the same time as escalation of the Manchurian crisis. 

==Background==
{{Main|Sino-Manchurian conflict|Manchuria and the IPTO}}
Conflict between China and Manchuria has been a recurring trend in {{W|East Asia}} since the early 20th century after Manchuria broke off and became an independent state in the late 1910s. The secession of Manchuria and its backing by the [[Empire of Japan]] caused many in China to view it as an illegitimate state and whose existence was guaranteed only by foreign backing, mainly from Japan and the [[China–Japan Basic Treaty]] after the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]. Tensions between the two states decreased after the [[Chinese Civil War]] ended with the establishment of the [[People's Republic of China]] by the [[Chinese Communist Party]] which inspired the [[Manchurian Revolution]] and the creation of the [[Manchu People's Republic]] under the [[Communist Party of Manchuria]] in 1946. Ideological solidarity was promoted by {{W|Mao Zedong}} during his tenure as China's paramount leader along with Manchurian leader and [[First Secretary of the Communist Party of Manchuria|party First Secretary]] [[Qian Yiu-tong]], however this would falter sometime after Mao's death and tensions soon rose from Manchuria seeking support from the [[United Commonwealth]] to revanchism growing in the CCP once more, especially after the [[October Crisis]] began in 1979. During the late 1980s and 1990s, especially after the rise of the reformist General Secretary [[Song Kun]], tensions between the two countries deescalated. 

After the [[Revolutions of 2000]] and the collapse of the communist regimes in both China and Manchuria, new governments were elected as both nations sought to return to democracy after years of {{W|Communism|communist}} rule. Early on in his presidency, [[Ren Longyun]] renewed relations with Manchuria and supported reconciliation with the country. This would continue for much of his presidency even after the [[Sino–Burmese War]] of 2009, but was abandoned in 2014 when pro-Chinese protests and riots broke out in Rehe Province calling for special autonomy to be given. In response and per the approval from the [[National Security Council (China)|National Security Council]], the [[Republic of China Army]] invaded and annexed Rehe overwhelming the defenders and annexing it into China from Manchuria, beginning the ongoing conflict between the two nations since 2014. The annexation was partly motivated by the fact that Manchuria had desired to join the [[Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization]], a political and military alliance consisting of East Asian and North American states lead by the [[Kingdom of Sierra]]. Ren Longyun, having shifted his foreign policy towards expanding Chinese power and influence in opposition towards the historic influence of western powers, invaded and sought to prevent Manchuria from joining the IPTO. This would remain part of China's foreign policy even after [[Zhao Meijin]] was elected president in [[2020 Chinese presidential election|2020]] by which Sino-Western tensions had continued to grow even during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].

===Reconciliation attempts===
{{Main|China–Manchuria relations|China–Manchuria reconciliation process}} 
In March 2021, Deputy Prime Minister [[Nazareth Ontoria-Diaz]] met with [[Vice Premier of the Republic of China|Vice Premier]] [[Li Zhen]] in {{W|Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage}}, [[Alaska]], in prolific [[2021 China–Sierra summit|diplomatic summit]] seeking to de-escalate and renew diplomatic relations between China and Sierra. The summit was viewed as a success, but it controversially saw Sierra drop its support for Manchurian membership in the IPTO causing backlash, especially in Manchuria with its government calling for a new summit with Chinese leaders to discuss regional tensions claiming that said issues cannot be discussed if Manchurian representatives are not present. It also reiterated its stance that it had the right to join the IPTO and would still pursue IPTO membership despite the Sierran [[Social Democrats of Sierra|Social Democrats]]' decision to drop said commitment, which was also heavily criticized in Sierra by the [[Royalist Party of Sierra|Royalists]]. 
==Timeline==
===Buildup and escalation (January 2022)===
Starting on January 2, Western, Japanese, and Korean media began reporting that satellite imagery indicated a large build-up of troops and infrastructure by the [[Republic of China Armed Forces]] in northern [[Zhili]] province and in Rehe, near China's international border with Manchuria. The Chinese government denied these claims, stating that these forces had already been present in the region since the previous deployment in August 2021 and nothing had changed, while reiterating its long-held position that the capital Beijing was threatened by Manchurian and CAS forces very not far away. Sierran Prime Minister Susan Kwon addressed the issue on January 5 by revealing that the [[Royal Intelligence Agency]] confirmed that a build-up was taking place. 

===Early negotiations and pause (January–September 2022)===
===Resumption of talks and cooperation (October–December 2022)===
===Renewed escalation to war (January–April 2023)===
{{main|Chinese invasion of Manchuria}}
==Diplomatic front==
==Reactions==
{{Main|Reactions to the 2022 Sino-Manchurian crisis}} 
==See also==
*[[China–IPTO relations]]
*[[Manchuria–NTO relations]]
*[[China–Conference of American States relations]]
*[[October Crisis]]
*[[Irish Missile Crisis]]

[[Category:Sino-Manchurian conflict]]
[[Category:China–Manchuria military relations]]
[[Category:Chinese irredentism]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 2022]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 2023]]
[[Category:2022 in China]]
[[Category:2022 in Manchuria]] 
[[Category:2022 in international relations]]
[[Category:2023 in China]]
[[Category:2023 in Manchuria]]
[[Category:2023 in international relations]]
[[Category:2020s conflicts]]
[[Category:January 2022 events in Asia]]
[[Category:February 2022 events in Asia]] 
[[Category:March 2022 events in Asia]]
[[Category:October 2022 events in Asia]]
[[Category:November 2022 events in Asia]]
[[Category:December 2022 events in Asia]]
[[Category:January 2023 events in Asia]]
[[Category:February 2023 events in Asia]]
[[Category:March 2023 events in Asia]]
[[Category:April 2023 events in Asia]]