China was affected by the Cold War in the following ways: 1) China became a communist nation under Mao Zedong in 1949 and aligned with the Soviet Union against the United States. 2) In the 1950s and 1960s, Mao launched ambitious economic programs like the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution that led to millions of deaths but also increased Chinese nationalism. 3) After the Sino-Soviet split in the 1960s, China opened up relations with the United States in the 1970s and adopted more capitalist economic reforms while maintaining communist political rule.