THE BEGINNING OF CHANGE IN SINO-JAPANESE-SOVIET RELATIONS, 1933-1935

The Nanjing government’s policy towards the USSR and Japan in 19331935 reflected a sense of uncertainty and ambivalence, which was mainly driven by Chiang Kai-shek’s idea of trying to manoeuvre between Japan and the USSR, but it was not successful. On the other hand, Japan, fearing a possible alliance between China, the USSR and other countries in the current international situation, resorted to coercive pressure on the Nanjing government to prevent China’s alliance with other countries against Japan. On the other hand, the USSR at this stage began to consider the possibility of establishing collective security and began to improve its opinion of Chiang Kai-shek’s government. In line with this trend, the Nanjing government after 1935 also began to move towards a coalition with the Soviet Union.