The alliance between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Soviet Union was formed as a result of mutual interests and the desire of the two states to pursue their respective national and geopolitical imperatives. . Although Chinese historical experience and Marxist ideology played a role in constructing these interests, the actions of the Chinese Community Party (CCP) reflect an overall propensity to consolidate its power and secure the nascent republic. This essay will examine the multiple factors that influenced the Soviet alliance, including relations between the PRC, the United States (US), and the Soviet Union, as well as the PRC's foreign policy and strategic goals. Historical conceptions of China's culture and global position have shaped the PRC's perspective. . At the center of all this is Sinocentrism and its decree from heaven that dynastic China must spread civilization (Xinning 2001: 70). Imperial China's tribute system represented a “Pax Sinica” and the physical manifestation of Sinocentrism, with its success affirming Chinese cultural superiority (Y. Zhang 2001: 52). The similarity and conflict of Sinocentrism with American Manifest Destiny, itself an articulation that Anglo-Saxon Americans are God's chosen people, with a superior culture and who are predestined to spread civilization to lesser peoples (Hollander 2009 ) is instructive in this regard: 169). PRC nationalism can be seen in part as a rejection of this competing heavenly mandate, linking China's decline to foreign intervention and adherence to unequal treaties that resulted in the loss of peripheral territories seen as intrinsic to historical China (Kissinger 2011: 112). In this way, the formation of the PRC as a modern nation-state is the resurgence of the Sino-...... middle of paper ...... bloc (Goldstein 1995:50). Thus, by allying with the Soviets, the PRC was able to alleviate the fundamental problems that posed an existential threat to their republic. It is difficult to conclude anything other than that the alliance between the PRC and the Soviet Union arose primarily out of necessity. Certainly, the common ideology and revolutionary nature of the CCP allowed for a collective understanding that sometimes coalesced into shared goals. Nonetheless, the PRC's actions suggest appeasement rather than true alignment with the Soviet Union. As a result, Beijing and Moscow emerge as reluctant allies, with a hint of a prisoner's dilemma in their alliance – each, but particularly the PRC, faces deleterious consequences by pursuing an independent course. By cooperating, the PRC was able to build its state and counterbalance the perceived American threat.