China-Soviet Relations before the Great Patriotic War of USSR (1940 - 1941)

On August 21, 1937, a non-aggression agreement was concluded between the USSR and China for a period of 5 years, with an extension of 2-year periods, unless one of the parties declares its desire to refuse to extend it. Signed at a difficult time for China, the treaty helped to improve its international position. The Soviet Union provided direct material assistance to the country fighting the Japanese: the provision of two loans, the supply of large quantities of weapons, ammunition, fuel, etc. More than 3,500 Soviet military specialists (1939) contributed to the struggle against the Japanese invaders. Soviet Russia consistently defended China, publicly condemned Japanese aggression and issued a series of warnings to it. The comprehensive support of China by the Soviet Union meant a lot to the liberation struggle of the Chinese people. However, since 1939, the volume of supplies of Soviet aid has been declining, and then they cease, while maintaining contacts between the two countries. This will be discussed in this article. It gives an analysis of Soviet-Chinese relations in 1940 and the first half of 1941, i.e. on the eve of World War II. It is based on documents of the USSR foreign policy.