In the 1930s, the Chinese Nationalist government engaged in strategic military cooperation with Fascist Italy, focusing primarily on aviation. This collaboration culminated in the creation of the Sino-Italian National Aircraft Works (SINAW). However, the partnership was abruptly severed in August 1937 when Japan, following its full-scale invasion of China, launched targeted airstrikes on SINAW facilities. The bombing significantly impacted the Nationalist government’s politics, diplomacy and military and changed the international political landscape before World War II. The present interdisciplinary study, grounded in historical documentation, archival sources, and theoretical frameworks from international relations, military history, and strategic studies, involved a qualitative analysis to elucidate the strategic rationale behind the Japanese bombing campaign and its geopolitical consequences. It was found that the bombing was intended to sever Sino-Italian cooperation, consolidate Japan’s air dominance by crippling China’s air force, pressure Italy to abandon China in favour of the Japan-Italy alliance. The Japanese bombing had significant consequences for the Chinese Nationalist government. It deepened distrust toward fascist states, led to policy adjustments domestically and internationally, and accelerated the formation of the Second United Front with the Communists. Globally, it contributed to shifts in power dynamics between fascist and anti-fascist forces. Italy fully aligned with Japan, while the Nationalist government adopted a more confrontational stance against Japanese aggression, helping to foster the development of an international anti-fascist coalition. The present study provides a fresh perspective on pre–World War II diplomacy and offers insight into the imperialist dynamics shaping international relations at the time.
Liu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.