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Why did China enter the Korean War in late 1950?

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Korean War, June–August 1950 — Korean War Map showing North Korean advances in the Korean War in June–August 1950.

China entered the Korean War in late 1950 primarily because the Beijing leadership felt directly threatened by the northward advance of United Nations forces toward the Chinese border. Despite China’s attempts to halt this progression through warnings, UN commander Douglas MacArthur ignored these threats.12

When North Korean leader Kim Il-sung requested direct military aid, Mao Zedong agreed to intervene, provided he received assurances of Soviet air support. Joseph Stalin promised to extend air defenses to protect Chinese bases in Manchuria and hydroelectric plants along the Yalu River, as well as provide new weapons and armaments factories. Following these commitments, Mao ordered the Chinese People’s Volunteers Force (CPVF) to cross into Korea.3

The intervention was also framed domestically through the "Resist America, aid Korea" campaign, which mobilized the Chinese population by portraying the conflict as an urgent patriotic necessity against an external threat.12