UCLA Asia Institute
Today in Asian History
January 27
1932 Japanese marines landed near Shanghai, China. By this time, the Japanese had already seized most of Manchuria. Their move into the Yangzi delta region followed efforts by many Chinese to organize boycotts and other measures to oppose the occupation of Manchuria. Eventually 70,000 Japanese soldiers engaged in fighting in and around Shanghai. Chinese troops managed to tie down the Japanese forces and the two sides ultimately arranged a truce.
1964 France and the People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations. Earlier in the month, French and U.S. officials exchanged views on this move. These can be seen at the U.S. Department of State website.
Among the consequences of this event was that Bao Ruowang, a French-Chinese, was released from prison. He went on to write Prisoner of Mao.
1973 United States and Vietnamese authorities agreed in Paris to a cease fire in South Vietnam to take affect immediately. Further, the U.S. pledged to cease actions against North Vietnam, to remove mines placed in North Vietnamese ports and waterways, and to withdraw its forces from South Vietnam..The U.S. also agreed to end its involvement in South Vietnam's internal affairs. The reunification of North and South Vietnam was to be carried out through peaceful consultation between Northern and Southern authorities. The demilitarized zone at the 17th parallel was to be observed by both sides. For excerpts from the Paris Peace Accords (which brought a Nobel Peace Prize to Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Duc Tho and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Le Duc Tho refused to accept the award arguing the war was not actually over), click here.
1981 Roughly 500 people died when the Indonesia ferry Tampomas II caught fire and sank in the Java Sea.
The AI "Today in Asian History" page was compiled by Clayton Dube. He welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send them to <cdube@isop.ucla.edu>.
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