 Consequently this regional conflict tipped the balance in the preexisting civil war in favor of the insurgent Communist Party of China under Mao Zedong, despite Japan's continually reiterated state policy of hostility to communism.Paine writes that during the 1920s Soviet Russia had recognized the importance of China, and understood that its interests required political, diplomatic, and military involvement.Accordingly, the Soviets dealt extensively with the Kuomintang (KMT) party which led the Chinese Republic, and with the KMT's Chinese Communists allies, rivals, and eventual enemies.