Zhihua Shen and Yafeng Xia 11 of time.In order to avoid troubles in Sino-Korean relations,PRC policy was "to prepare for the resolution of provisional and par- tial issues because a comprehensive resolution needs more time" (Sǒ2009,203). Between 1956 and 1960 China and North Korea signed a series of agreements and protocols related to their border.These were the Protocol on Transporting Lumber on the Yalu and Tumen Rivers (January 1956),the Instrument of Accord on Tumen River Water Supply Project(December 1956 and October 1957),the Protocol on Merchandise Trading in the Frontier Regions (December 1958),the Protocol on Joint Use of the Shuifeng Reservoirs for Fishery in the Sino-Korean border areas (June 1959),and the Agreement on the Navigation of Vessels on the Border Rivers (May 1960)(Zhonghua renmin gongheguo wai- jiaobu tiaoyue falusi 2004).These documents indicated no major problems on the Sino-North Korean border,although both sides might have different views.Both sides actively cooperated on uti- lizing river resources for development. In 1961,however,the Chinese government reevaluated the border issues.Due to lack of documentation,it is not clear whether China and North Korea had any contact on the issue.We only know that in a meeting with the North Korean leader Kim Il- sung in July 1961,Zhou Enlai said that "it is very difficult to delimit our border"(CFMA No.204-01454-01,1).Zhou seemed to expect a delay in a comprehensive resolution to demarcating the Sino-North Korean boundary.But suddenly the situation changed abruptly. North Korea Takes the Initiative A Difficult Beginning to Negotiations In the early 1960s China was trapped in very difficult political as well as economic circumstances.Domestically,China was in seri- ous economic recession due to the disastrous Great Leap Forward. which had started in 1958.Internationally,China and the Soviet Union had major differences in foreign policy that led to open dis-
12 Contested Border agreements.In a fit of rage the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev recalled all Soviet experts from China in the summer of 1960.In addition,in the western frontier region,China had a very edgy relationship with India after the 1959 border clashes.On the southeast coast,the Chinese Nationalist leader Jiang Jieshi(Chi- ang Kai-shek),who set up a renegade regime on Taiwan after 1949,clamored to return to the mainland with his Nationalist army.The People's Republic thus faced multiple crises (Lin 2008: Shen 2011a).At this juncture,North Korea proposed to resolve the border dispute with the PRC. We know little about the contacts between the two sides and the details of the actual negotiations.However,from the MFA's declassified documents and other sources,we can sketch out the process of Sino-North Korean efforts to demarcate their boundary in1962 On February 18,1962,North Korean foreign minister Pak Seong-cheol invited Chinese ambassador Hao Deqing on a hunt- ing trip.Pak asked if it was possible to resolve the Sino-Korean border problem through internal consultation.Ten days later the MFA responded to the request of the Chinese Embassy in North Korea,stating that the Chinese government agreed to the resolu- tion of the Sino-Korean border issue.On March 3,Hao met with Pak again,relaying the response of the MFA and inquiring about the date and location for negotiations.On March 26,Pak made a proposal to Hao that China and the DPRK hold negotiations at the vice foreign minister level in Andong and Sinuiju on April 10.On March 30,Premier Zhou called a meeting of responsible cadres to discuss the Sino-Korean and Sino-Mongolian border disputes.The initial Chinese plan was drawn up at this meeting. From April 4 to 8,officials from the North Korean foreign ministry and the Chinese Embassy in North Korea met and dis- cussed the time,location,and participants in the upcoming nego- tiations.The negotiations,in Andong,lasted from April 10 to 14. Vice Foreign Minister Ji Pengfei headed the Chinese delegation, Vice Foreign Minister Ryu Jang-sik led the Korean delegation. After five rounds of talks,each side proposed its own plan for demarcating the boundary.On April 18,Hao Deqing visited Ryu in Sinuiju to exchange views on the Sino-North Korean border