Awesome timeline
Well researched.
I think that in this scenario China and the Soviet Union could have warmer relations quicker than in OTL (with Gorbachev in command from 1984, a reduced Afghanistan, and the feeling that is more Reagan than Andropov that is causing the Cold War resurgence I think the probabilities are high)
In OTL also Ronald Reagan for example initially had a very cold attitude towards China without the Afghanistan of OTL and without euromissiles I think China could decide to look for warmer relations with the USSR considering that the USSR is showing less agresivity than USA.
in OTL for example 1982-83 see warmer relations between USSR and China while the USA continued to have a more or less cold relation in general with China:
"
(b) U.S.-China relations
China harbored great caution against U.S. President Reagan's pro-Taiwan policies, and this has constituted a big barrier against the development of relations between the U.S. and China since the start of the Reagan administration. The bilateral consultations on the transfer of American arms to Taiwan were held when Assistant Secretary of State Holdridge and Vice President Bush visited China in January and May 1982, respectively. In August 1982, the two nations reached an agreement that the transfer of U.S. arms to Taiwan should not exceed the level of immediately after normalization of U.S.-China relations and that it should be gradually decreased. A joint communique to that effect was announced by the two countries. However, the somewhat chilly relations between them continued since their interpretations of the joint communique and their positions on other Taiwan issues later proved different.
Secretary Shultz's visit to China in February 1983 was aimed at promoting communication between the two countries and normalizing their chilly relations. In Beijing, Secretary Shultz held talks with Chairman Deng Xiaoping, Premier Zhao Ziyang and Foreign Minister Wu Xueqian. They agreed to make efforts to nurture mutual trust, and thus paved the way for continuous dialogue.
Despite this, discord between the two countries continued over delicate political issues such as China's membership in the Asian Development Bank, Huguang Railway bonds, the U.S. announcement of arms sales to Taiwan for fiscal 1983 and 1984, the U.S. acceptance of Chinese tennis player Hu Na who sought political asylum, and the resultant suspension of the remaining U.S.-China cultural exchange programs for 1982 and 1983 as well as China's absence from international sports events of 1983 in the U.S. Meanwhile, their economic relations showed a relatively smooth development in the fields of trade, science and technology. With regard to the U.S. policy of restricting transfer of high technology to China of which China had expressed complaint, the U.S. government announced its decision in May to include China in the same group as non-Communist countries, including Japan and India, under the Export Control Law.
(c) Sino-Soviet relations in 1982 were on a course considerably different from that in 1981, as shown by such facts as the first vice ministerial meeting in October, the Foreign Ministers' meeting on the occasion of the funeral for General Secretary Brezhnev, and the expansion of personnel exchanges, and trade and economic relations.
In March, the late General Secretary Brezhnev appealed in his public speech for the improvement of Sino-Soviet relations. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to it, saying that China firmly refuses the accusation against it made in Brezhnev's speech and that what China attaches importance to are the actual actions by the Russians. The spokesman added, however, that China will take note of Brezhnev's speech. The two countries later made working-level contacts, such as the Soviet Foreign Ministry's First Far Eastern Department Director Kapitsa's visit to China and the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Soviet Union and East European Affairs Department Director Yu Hongliang's visit to the Soviet Union. In September, Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang revealed a more positive attitude than before toward the Soviet Union, although with some reservations, when he referred to the possibility of normalizing Sino-Soviet relations in his report to the 12th CPC National Congress.
The first vice ministerial meeting was held in Beijing from Oct. 5 to Oct. 22. The content of the talks at this meeting is not known since the two countries agreed not to disclose it. It was reported, however, that their basic positions differed. In particular the Soviet Union did not show readiness for concessions to the so-called "three conditions" presented by China-reduction of Soviet forces in the area along the Sino-Soviet border, withdrawal of Soviet forces from Mongolia and Afghanistan, and suspension of Soviet assistance to Viet Nam. At this meeting, they agreed to make the vice ministerial contacts thereafter in Moscow and Beijing alternately and the second vice ministerial talks were held in Moscow in March 1983.
Chinese Foreign Minister Huang Hua held talks with Foreign Minister Gromyko when he attended the funeral for the late General Secretary Brezhnev in November. It was announced that their meeting was held in a "candid and calm atmosphere." This was the first visit to Moscow by a Chinese cabinet minister since November 1964 when the then Chinese Premier Chou Enlai visited the Soviet capital.
Trade between the two countries was expanded, and agreements on cargo transportation and border trade were signed. Further to that, new developments took place in the form of visits to China by a Soviet team of field athletes and the Boljshoi Ballet Team and also an agreement on student exchange."
From Diplomatic Bluebook of Japanese Foreign Affairs ministery
http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/other/bluebook/1983/1983-2.htm
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