Second Tsinghua History Research Seminar, Spring Semester, 2024–2025

“What kind of perspective will the history of the Cold War present when we turn our gaze from land to sea?” Chen Guanren posed this question to the audience, inviting them to rethink the history of the Cold War. After World War II, Japan lost control over the East Asian maritime region, creating a vacuum in the regional maritime order. However, countries like China and South Korea were unable to fill this void due to internal conflicts or a lack of naval power, which turned the East Asian waters into a competitive arena for various nations to intervene. Chen Guanren pointed out that the U.S. Navy's policies in East Asian waters were not consistently assertive but displayed a high degree of flexibility depending on the different periods and circumstances. For instance, in the early 1950s, there were voices in the U.S. calling for a reduction in naval funding, but with the outbreak of the Korean War, the situation changed dramatically. The U.S. intensified its military deployment in the Western Pacific, and the Navy played an important role in supporting the South Korean Army, having a significant impact on stabilizing the Northeast Asian situation.