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2 - Becoming a Global Hub

The Sino-Soviet Split, the Great Leap Forward, and Tibetan Refugees (1958–1965)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2022

Ariane Knüsel
Affiliation:
University of Fribourg
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Summary

China’s use of Switzerland changed as a result of the Sino-Soviet split, as China tried to compensate for the loss of assistance from the Soviet Union and its allies by increasing its relations with Western Europe. The Swiss missions in Switzerland were important for China’s efforts to increase its presence in Latin America and Africa in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The case of nine Chinese who were arrested in Brazil in 1964 is used to demonstrate how China’s missions in Switzerland contributed to China’s global presence, and how the Swiss government and Swiss businesses were affected by Chinese actions abroad. Swiss support for Tibet and Tibetan refugees is discussed to show that the Swiss government also took advantage of the importance that Switzerland played for China, and managed to get away with actions that China did not tolerate from other nations. The chapter also discusses the effects that the Great Leap Forward had on Chinese and Swiss bilateral trade relations from 1958 to 1965, how Swiss companies and government officials tried to increase trade, and how the Sino-Soviet split led China to increase the scope of its network of embargo goods dealers that it operated out of Bern.

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Chapter
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China's European Headquarters
Switzerland and China during the Cold War
, pp. 83 - 143
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Becoming a Global Hub
  • Ariane Knüsel, University of Fribourg
  • Book: China's European Headquarters
  • Online publication: 21 April 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009169486.003
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  • Becoming a Global Hub
  • Ariane Knüsel, University of Fribourg
  • Book: China's European Headquarters
  • Online publication: 21 April 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009169486.003
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Becoming a Global Hub
  • Ariane Knüsel, University of Fribourg
  • Book: China's European Headquarters
  • Online publication: 21 April 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009169486.003
Available formats
×