List of wars involving the People's Republic of China

This is a list of wars involving the People's Republic of China (PRC). The PRC last fought a war in 1979 (the Sino-Vietnamese War) and has fought only in relatively minor engagements since.^[1]^: 72

Wars involving the People's Republic of China

PRC military victory

Indecisive or unclear outcome^[a]

Ongoing Conflict / Civil War or internal conflict

PRC military defeat

No.	War	People's Republic of China and allies	Opponents	Result
1	Chinese Civil War (1927–1949)	1927–1936 Chinese Soviet Republic (from 1931) Jiangxi Soviet (1931–1934) Chinese Communist Party Chinese Red Army 1945–1949 Yan'an Soviet People's Republic of China (1949) Chinese Communist Party People's Liberation Army	1927–1936 Republic of China Kuomintang Republic of China Armed Forces 1945–1949 Republic of China Kuomintang Republic of China Armed Forces	Victory Communist control of mainland China Proclamation of the People's Republic of China Retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan
2	Battle of Chamdo (1950)	People's Republic of China	Tibet	Victory People's Republic of China annexes Tibet
3	Korean War (1950–1953)	North Korea China Soviet Union	South Korea United States United Kingdom Canada Turkey Australia Philippines New Zealand Thailand Ethiopia Greece France Colombia Belgium South Africa Netherlands Luxembourg	Ceasefire North Korean invasion of South Korea repelled UN military intervention and invasion of North Korea repelled Chinese-North Korean invasion of South Korea repelled DMZ established, little territorial change at the 38th parallel border, essentially uti possidetis
4	First Taiwan Strait Crisis (1954–1955)	PRC	ROC United States	Ceasefire PRC withdrawal, status quo ante bellum.
5	China–Burma border campaign (1960–1961)	PRC Burma	ROC	Victory Kuomintang expelled from Burma
6	Sino-Indian War (1962)	China	India	Victory Status quo ante bellum
7	Nathu La and Cho La clashes (1967)	China	India	Defeat PRC withdrawal from Nathu La and Cho La
8	Sino-Soviet Border Conflict (1969)	China	Soviet Union	Defeat Status quo ante bellum
9	Vietnam War (1965–1969)	North Vietnam Viet Cong Pathet Lao Khmer Rouge China Soviet Union North Korea	United States South Vietnam South Korea Australia New Zealand Laos Cambodia Khmer Republic Thailand	Withdrawal Withdrawal of American-led forces from Indochina Communist governments took power in South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia China took over Paracel Islands from South Vietnam Republic of Vietnam collapsed, the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam took control of South Vietnam. South Vietnam was annexed by North Vietnam Breakdown in Sino-Vietnamese relations leading to the Sino-Vietnamese War
10	Third Indochina War (1978–1991)	China Democratic Kampuchea (until 1979/82) CGDK (after 1982) PDK FUNCINPEC KPNLF Lao royalists Hmong insurgents FULRO Thailand Supported by: United States^[2]^[3] Malaysia North Korea Romania Somalia National United Front for the Liberation of Vietnam (1980-1987)	Vietnam Laos People's Republic of Kampuchea (until 1989) State of Cambodia (from 1989) Supported by: Albania^[4] Bulgaria Cuba Czechoslovakia East Germany Hungary India Poland Soviet Union Derg (1978–1987) PDRE (from 1987) South Yemen Grenada Communist Party of Thailand Pak Mai Supported by: Malayan Communist Party	1991 Paris Peace Accords^[5]^[6] Insurgency in Laos Removal of the Khmer Rouge from power End of the Cambodian genocide Pro-Vietnamese government installed in Cambodia China withdraws from Vietnam after 27 days of fighting Communist Party of Thailand abandons armed struggle Vietnam withdraws from Cambodia in 1989^[5] 1990 Chengdu summit leads to the normalization of relations between China and Vietnam Restoration of the House of Norodom in Cambodia Establishment of United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia join ASEAN in the late 1990s.
11	Sino-Vietnamese War (1979)	China	Vietnam	Status quo antebellum, both sides claim victory Chinese withdrawal from Vietnam Continued Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia until 1989 Sino-Vietnamese conflicts (1979–1991)
12	Somali Civil War (2009–present)	Somalia Somali Armed Forces^[7] Regional forces: Galmudug Galmudug Security Force Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a (until 2018)^[8] Ma'awisley^[9] Hirshabelle Khatumo Southwestern Somalia Himan and Heeb (until 2015) United States^[7]^[10]^[11] U.S. Army U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Air Force U.S. Navy CIA AFRICOM China^[12]^[13] People's Armed Police Turkey ^[14]^[15] Turkish Land Forces AUSSOM (2025–present)^[7] Burundi (under discussion) Djibouti Egypt (under discussion) Ethiopia Kenya Uganda ATMIS (2022–2024)^[7] Burundi Djibouti Ethiopia Kenya Uganda AMISOM (2007–2022)^[7] Burundi Djibouti Ethiopia Ghana Kenya Nigeria Sierra Leone Uganda Supported by: France^[16] Italy^[17] Russia^[18]^[19] UAE^[20] United Kingdom^[21] Non-combat support: European Union^[22] EUTM Somalia UNPOS (1995–2013) UNSOM (2013–2024) Brazil Finland Germany Ghana India Indonesia Nepal Sierra Leone Sweden Thailand Turkey Uganda United Kingdom Zimbabwe UNTMIS (2025–present) UNSOA (2009–2016) UNSOS (2016–present) Independent regional forces Puntland Puntland Security Force Puntland Dervish Force Puntland Maritime Police Force Jubaland Jubaland Dervish Force Raskamboni Movement	Al-Qaeda and allies Al-Shabaab AQAP AQIM Hizbul Islam (until 2010; 2012–2013) Alleged state allies: Eritrea^[23] Iran^[24] Quds Force^[25] Qatar^[26] Alleged non-state allies: Houthis^[27]^[28] Somali pirates^[29] Islamic State (since 2015)^[30]^[31] Somalia Wilayah Allies IS-YP^[32] Somali pirates^[29] Somaliland Somaliland Armed Forces SSB^[33]^[34] Alleged support: Ethiopia^[35] United Arab Emirates^[36]	Ongoing Merger and split between/of Hizbul Islam and al-Shabaab forces Kenyan military intervention in October 2011 Al-Shabaab becomes an official al-Qaeda affiliate in February 2012 Federal Government formed in August 2012 Formation of the Islamic State in Somalia in October 2015 Somali government launches a major offensive in August 2022, and takes at least a third of al-Shabaab territory Las Anod conflict between Somaliland and SSC-Khatumo begins in 2023^[37] Ongoing constitutional crisis in Somalia since 2023, Puntland withdrew its recognition of the Federal Government and declared itself a de facto independent state. Jubaland crisis ongoing since 11 December 2024

Other conflicts

China portal

UN peacekeeping missions and anti-piracy

References

Notes

^ A treaty or peace with an indecisive, inconclusive result, or resulting in status quo ante bellum.

Citations

^ Garlick, Jeremy (2024). Advantage China: Agent of Change in an Era of Global Disruption. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-350-25231-8.
^ Ang Cheng Guan (2024-11-07). "Regional Responses to the Vietnamese Invasion". The Third Indochina War. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 2025-08-06. The US 'winked, semi-publicly at the Chinese and Thai aid to the Khmer Rouge'. Brzeziński also encouraged the Thais to help the Khmer Rouge. The US 'winked, semi-publicly at the Chinese and Thai aid to the Khmer Rouge'. We now know from WikiLeaks that in 1979, a secret meeting took place between Brzeziński, a deputy foreign minister from China, and Thai Prime Minister Kriangsak Chomanand at U-Tapao Airbase, where they agreed to help rebuild Pol Pot's army – China would provide the arms while Thailand would 'serve as a facilitator The US, on the other hand, would provide medicine and food 'via its influence over international agencies'.
^ Hoang Minh Vu (2021-03-11). "The Third Indochina War". ASEAN Resistance to Sovereignty Violation: Interests, Balancing and the Role of the Vanguard State. Policy Press Scholarship Online, Oxford Academic. an informal alliance developed between Thailand, China, the ASEAN states, the ousted Khmer Rouge, and to a lesser extent the United States, in an effort to contain Vietnamese and Soviet influence in Southeast Asia following Vietnam's
^ "Outside Interference in Vietnamese Affairs Condemned" (PDF). www.cambodiatokampuchea.wordpress.com. July 20, 1978.
^ ^a ^b Lucy Keller. "UNTAC in Cambodia – from Occupation, Civil War and Genocide to Peace - The Paris Peace Conference in 1989" (PDF). Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
^ "Cambodia - 20 years on from the Paris Peace Agreements". OHCHR. October 21, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Gaid, Samira (November–December 2022). Cruickshank, Paul; Hummel, Kristina (eds.). "The 2022 Somali Offensive Against al-Shabaab: Making Enduring Gains Will Require Learning from Previous Failures" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 15 (11). West Point, New York: Combating Terrorism Center: 31–38. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
^ "Somalia: Islamist Group Supports President Sharif". Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
^ "MA'AWISLEY: A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD IN THE FIGHT AGAINST AL-SHABAAB – Rift Valley Institute". Retrieved 2025-03-10.
^ "In Somalia, U.S. Escalates a Shadow War – The New York Times". The New York Times. 16 October 2016. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
^ Brown, David (31 July 2017). "US airstrike kills Somalia fighter under new Trump authority". Washingtonexaminer.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
^ "Somalia: China Donates Military Equipment to Somalia to Aid War Against Terrorists". 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
^ "索马里遇难武警被称为"许三多"中弹拒绝回国休养--时政--人民网". People's Daily. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
^ "Turkey sends troops to Somalia amid Al-Shabaab advances". Somali Guardian. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
^ Dhaysane, Mohammed (9 March 2021). "New batch of Somali troops to get training in Turkey". aa.com.tr.
^ "France reportedly bombs Somali town". Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
^ "Italy pledges to Somali gov't financial support to uproot Al shabaab". Shabelle. 3 November 2010. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
^ "Russia offers support to Somalian army in fight against terrorist groups". ABC News. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ "Russia Offers Military Support to Somalia". VOA. 2023-05-26. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^ Weiss, Caleb (2025-02-05). "US, UAE conducting airstrikes in northern Somalia". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
^ "First British troops arrive in Somalia as part of UN mission". The Guardian. 2 May 2016. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
^ "Italy pledges to Somali gov't financial support to uproot Al shabaab". Shabelle. 3 November 2010. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
^
Multiple sources:
- "Exclusive: Eritrea reduces support for al Shabaab – U.N. report". Reuters. 16 July 2012.
- "How does 'poor' Eritrea afford to fund Al-Shabaab?". Africa Review. 8 November 2011. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- "Eritrea 'arming' Somali militia". BBC News. 27 July 2007. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- "UN probes Eritrea arms in Somalia – Africa". Al Jazeera English. 16 May 2009. Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
- Gettleman, Jeffrey (27 July 2007). "A U.N. Report on Somalia Accuses Eritrea of Adding to the Chaos". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
^
Multiple sources:
- Fraser-Rahim, Muhammad (17 July 2020). "In Somalia, Iran Is Replicating Russia's Afghan Strategy". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Somali military officials maintain that Iran has been running secret operations to undermine the United States in Somalia, providing sophisticated weapons, improvised explosive100000 als used to make bombs. The military officials allege that Iran and its proxies are complicit in al-Shabab attacks on the U.S. military, Somali forces, and the African Union Mission in Somalia
- "The Growing Relationship between Iran and al-Shabab Movement in Somalia: Motives and Potential Consequences". Emirates Policy Center. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2020. For Iran, working with non-State actors such as Al-Shabaab and the Houthis is an essential part of its foreign policy, aimed at expanding its geopolitical influence throughout the region. Tehran has developed an unspoken alliance with Al-Shabaab with the aim of creating a covert intelligence network that will allow it to achieve its goals and support its interests in the Middle East and Africa.
- "Al-Qaeda Affiliate Reportedly Using Iran As Transit Point For Banned Exports". RFE/RL. 13 October 2018. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018.
- "Iran denies shipping arms to Islamist militants in Somalia". Reuters. 2013-02-14. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^
Multiple sources:
- Bashir, Hamdi (7 October 2020). "The Future of the Role of Iran's Quds Force in Africa". Emirates Policy Center. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. The Quds Force has been working with agents and allies, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah and Somalia's Al-Shabaab, which are thought to have recently established relations with the Quds Force.
- Fazeli, Yaghoub (19 July 2020). "Iran linking with Somalia's al-Shabab to funnel weapons to Houthis". Al Arabiya. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021.
- Fraser-Rahim, Muhammad (17 July 2020). "In Somalia, Iran Is Replicating Russia's Afghan Strategy". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Somali police and finance ministry officials claim the Quds Force uses these networks to smuggle Iranian oil into Somalia and then sell cheap oil across Africa to subvert U.S. sanctions, with some of the proceeds used to support militants in Yemen and Somalia
- Bartell, Dawn L.; Gray, David H. (Fall 2012). "Hezbollah and Al Shabaab in Mexico". Global Security Studies. 3 (4): 100–112. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023.
^
Multiple sources:
- Ahmed, Guled (9 February 2021). "As Farmaajo digs in with Qatari backing, Somalia's election crisis grows worse". Middle East Institute. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Qatar has allegedly used al-Shabab to target groups it has identified as opposing its interests, including Somali politicians critical of Doha's role in the country and outside actors like the United Arab Emirates
- Lynch, Colum (28 November 2012). "Qatar's support for Islamists muddles its reputation as neutral broker in Mideast". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Qatar's cultivation of African Islamists, principally Somalia's al-Shabab insurgents, has similarly troubled the United States, which has accused the movement of providing a haven for al-Qaeda militants involved in attacks against Americans
- Mustafa, Awad; Singh, Karam (2 August 2017). "Qatar in the Horn of Africa: Friend or Foe?". Small Wars Journal. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017.
- Yüksel, Engin; Tekineş, Haşim (26 August 2021). "Turkish-Qatari approaches to conflict and crisis across the region". Clingendael. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Qatari individuals and government representatives are reported to have been in regular contact with Al-Qaeda and its affiliates in Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen in order to exert geopolitical influence
^
Multiple sources:
- Houreld, Katharine (10 November 2021). "Iranian-supplied arms smuggled from Yemen into Somalia, study says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Guns supplied by Iran to its Houthi allies in Yemen are being smuggled across the Gulf of Aden to Somalia, according to a Geneva-based think tank, where al Qaeda-linked al Shabab insurgents are battling a weak and divided government.
- Redondo, Raúl (20 July 2020). "Iran allies with Al-Shabaab in Somalia to distribute arms to Houthi rebels". Atalayar. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Iran has established links with the jihadist group Al-Shabaab in Somalia to attack United States and other international forces in the African country and the region and to supply arms to Houthi rebels in Yemen
- Fazeli, Yaghoub (19 July 2020). "Iran linking with Somalia's al-Shabab to funnel weapons to Houthis". Al Arabiya. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021.
^
UN sources:
- "Final report of the Panel of Experts on Yemen established pursuant to Security Council resolution 2140 (2014)" (PDF). un.org. UN Security Council. 11 October 2024. pp. 2, 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2024. In addition, increased smuggling activities involving small arms and light weapons are observed between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab, with indications of shared military supplies or a common supplier. ... Houthis are evaluating options to carry out attacks at sea from the Somali coast. To that end, they are strengthening ties with the terrorist group Harakat Al-Shabaab Al-Mujaahidiin (Al-Shabaab).
- "UN experts say Houthis collaborated with Al-Qaeda to weaken Yemeni government". Arab News. 3 November 2024. Archived from the original on 8 November 2024.
- "UN Panel of Experts Report Reveals Houthi Militia's Relationship with Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab Movement in Somalia". Yemen Shabab Net. 2 November 2024. Archived from the original on 8 November 2024.
^ ^a ^b Robyn Kriel; Briana Duggan (10 July 2017). "CNN Exclusive: Somali pirate kings are under investigation for helping ISIS and al-Shabaab". CNN. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
^ "ISIL's First East African Affiliate Conducts Attacks in Somalia, Kenya". DefenseNews. 29 December 2015.
^ "Somalia: Pro-ISIL militants, Al Shabaab clash in deadly Puntland infighting". Garowe Online. 24 December 2015. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
^ "The Islamic State in Somalia: Responding to an Evolving Threat". International Crisis Group. 12 September 2024. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
^ "Fierce clashes erupt between Somaliland, SSC Khatumo forces in Sool's Yeyle region". www.hiiraan.com. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
^ "SSC Khatumo leader calls for renewed offensive as Somaliland faces resistance over militia nationalization". www.hiiraan.com. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
^ "Ethiopia training Somaliland troops amid tension with Somalia". Garowe Online. 2020-06-30. Archived from the original on 26 January 2025. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
^ "UAE expands military ties with Somaliland as Somalia looks on". www.hiiraan.com. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
^ "Somalia: SSC Forces Capture Somaliland's Goojacade military Base". Horseed Media. 2023-08-25. Archived from the original on 2023-08-26. Retrieved 2023-08-26.

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