Mao perceived in this a lot of things. Soviet Union could not be trusted with life-saving medicine. And with Vietnam War happening in his own border, Chinese soldiers too would have had to enter the Vietnam jungles at any time . So he ordered a search for an anti-malarial drug. The search also included looking into TCM which was considered in the Chinese progressive circles as ‘feudal superstition’. Though the Communists relied on TCM during their ‘long march’, when they came to power they imposed strict standards against it. According to Heiner Fruehauf, Mao reversed his anti-TCM policies because he did not want to be dependent on Soviet Union on the vital necessity of life-saving drugs. There are differing views on this. (2)