Chinese Nationalist Government and March 6th 1946 Agreement between Viet Minh and France

Abstract

Within the political conflict in Vietnam between Viet Minh and France from mid-1945 to the beginning of the First Indochina War at the end of 1946, apart from the two main protagonists, the Chinese Nationalist Government became an important variable in diffusing the conflict. Political struggle between the Chinese Nationalist Government and the Chinese Communist Party after the end of World War II created a major concern for the Chinese Nationalist Government least French determination to restore her colonial power in Indochina would cause chaos in Vietnam, the territory which the Chinese always regarded as a "rearguard" of the country. Any trouble in Vietnam would lessen the effectiveness of the way in which the Chinese Nationalist Government handled its own problems. For These reasons, the Chinese Nationalist Government assumed and important role by pressuring both protagonists, but especially France, to reach a peaceful agreement, otherwise, it would co-operate with Viet Minh to counter any attempt of the French in restoring her colonial status quo. The Chinese Nationalist Government's intervention led to the signing of the 6^th March 1946 Agreement between Viet Minh and France that helped lessen the tension as well as delayed, albeit briefly, the coming of the First Indochina War.