"China's final warning" () is a Russian ironic
idiom
An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language, ...
originating from the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
that refers to a warning that carries no real consequences.
History
Relations between the People's Republic of China and the United States during the 1950s and 1960s were strained because of disputes over the
political status of Taiwan
The controversy surrounding the political status of Taiwan or the Taiwan issue is a result of World War II, the second phase of the Chinese Civil War (1945–1949), and the Cold War.
The basic issue hinges on who the islands of Taiwan, Peng ...
. American military fighter jets regularly patrolled and performed fighter maneuvers in the
Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide.
The Taiwan Strait is itself ...
, which led to formal protests being regularly lodged by the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...
in the form of a "final warning".
The
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, sli ...
released its first "final warning" to the United States on 7 September 1958 during the
Second Taiwan Strait Crisis
The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, also called the 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis, was a conflict that took place between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC). In this conflict, the PRC shelled the islands of Kinme ...
. By the end of 1964, more than 900 such "final warnings" had been issued.
[ However, no real consequences were levied for ignoring the "final warnings".]Soviet radio
All-Union Radio () was the radio broadcasting organisation for the USSR under Gosteleradio, operated from 1924 until the dissolution of the USSR. The organization was based in Moscow.
History Beginning
Following the October Revolution control ov ...
, "voiced by announcer Yuri Levitan
Yuri Borisovich Levitan (russian: Юрий Борисович Левитан, 2 October 1914 – 4 August 1983) was the primary Soviet radio announcer during and after World War II. He announced on Radio Moscow all major international events ...
in his solemn voice", which led to general awareness of the "final warnings" among the Soviet populace and common use of the term "China's final warning" within Soviet households to refer to empty threats.[ Citizens would often add numbers to the phrase for added humorous effect, such as "231st final Chinese warning" and "850th final Chinese warning".][ Since the 1972 ]Shanghai Communiqué
The Joint Communiqué of the United States of America and the People's Republic of China, also known as the Shanghai Communiqué (1972), was a diplomatic document issued by the United States of America and the People's Republic of China on Febru ...
that warmed US-China relations, the phrase has continued being used in reference to fruitless warnings in situations unrelated to politics or China.
See also
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References
{{Reflist
Russian-language idioms
China–United States relations
Irony