(May 7, 1960)
Welcome, friends. We are friends. We stand on the same front in
common struggle against imperialism and colonialism. Most of the
imperialist countries do not recognize China. They had virtually
ruled China for over 100 years, which turned the country to great
poverty, to a state of poverty and blankness. Poverty means
deprivation, and blankness means that a lot of people are
illiterate. That state of affairs has begun to change. In the past
China was an independent country in name only; in reality it was a
semi-colony of imperialism. Only after decades of struggle did we
win liberation. The armed struggle lasted for 22 years. The whole
of Chinese mainland was basically liberated in 1949; only Taiwan is
still under the occupation of imperialism. At present, U.S.
imperialism has established many military bases in the Orient, such
as in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, South Vietnam,
Thailand, Pakistan-military bases that pose a great threat to
us.
Westerners allege that we Chinese are no good, since we are
colored people. They allege that colored people are all no good,
that they can accomplish nothing and are neither hygienic nor
noble-minded. To them, our race seems no better than you Africans.
Westerners also allege that you are no good, but they will not help
you develop your industry. The little bit of industry you have
managed to develop belongs to the imperialists. So our position is
identical to yours.
It is very good for you now to be united. The whole of Africa is
united and has become politically awakened, or is in the gradual
process of awakening. Your Africa has a population of over 200
million. As you have become united, awakened and organized,
imperialism is afraid of you. Imperialism tries to spread feelings
of terror. The imperialists kill people or kill people through
their running dogs. In China they killed our people through Chiang
Kai-shek. Your countries may also have such stooges who do things
at the will of imperialism. They are very few in number, at most
one out of ten or maybe even fewer. Therefore, the people with whom
you can unite are nine out of ten or maybe even more. In fact,
imperialism is nothing to fear. Imperialism makes propaganda every
day about how powerful it is in order to scare us.
For a period of time in the past we Chinese were afraid of U.S.
imperialism and of its running dog Chiang Kai-shek, because they
killed people or used other means; for instance, arresting and
putting them in jail. In short, they attempted to make us fear them
to subdue our fighting spirit. We Chinese were awakened step by
step, and gradually we became no longer afraid. We fought face to
face against imperialism and its running dogs. To begin with, we
were barehanded and did not know how to fight a war. We learned
from the imperialists. As you oppress us, should we not oppress you
in turn? As one out of ten people oppresses the remaining nine of
us, isn't it possible for the nine of us to unite and drive the one
away? We concluded we could do so. If one person oppresses the
remaining nine of us, it would be unreasonable for the nine of us
not to unite and drive him away. Therefore we made revolution for
decades. And did we not end in victory?
Our enemy, Chiang Kai-shek, had huge foreign backing, that of
none other than U.S imperialism. He had powerful military forces,
munitions, factories and weapons provided by foreigners. He had
warships, heavy guns, tanks and airplanes. These we did not have-no
heavy guns, no airplanes and no tanks. We had only rifles and light
guns. Where did we get them? They were not produced by our
munitions factories, but seized, captured in war. It was through
Chiang Kai-shek that U.S imperialism sent us rifles and guns, hence
we had rifles and guns. Later we acquired tanks and heavy guns that
enabled us to fight major battles. By 1949 we had basically
liberated the mainland. Their air force dropped bombs over our
heads every day, but this did not frighten us. In the end it turned
out that they were afraid of us, not the other way round. Not only
was China Kai-shek afraid of us, but the Americans were also afraid
of us somehow, because we had united over 90 percent of the people.
It is the people who are most important and primary; weapons are
secondary and less important. As long as the people are united,
arms in hand, imperialists and colonialists will be afraid of us.
Of course, fighting a war is not the only means; there are other
means, too.
Of the countries that you friends come from, some have not gone
through war to seize political power, such as Guinea. In Algeria
the war is still going on, which has helped Guinea. Guinea friends
also see things this way. Since half a million French troops have
been tied up by the Algerians in their country, France does not
have many troops left. Imperialism has occupied too many places and
made too many things in its business. A Chinese saying goes that he
who tries to catch ten fleas with ten fingers gets none. Because
imperialism has made too many things in its business, it cannot get
everything under control. Now the United States has occupied too
many places in the world. You see, in Asia, Latin America and
Africa there are many countries where the United States has
military bases. Furthermore, it attempts to dominate Europe. In the
past few days some changes have occurred in the international
situation. The people of South Korea had no other way out but to
rise up against Syngman Rhee, a running dog of the United States.
As the people of South Korea rose up, protesting, revolting and
demonstrating in the hundreds of thousands, Syngman Rhee collapsed,
although he had 75 divisions, while the masses of the South Korean
people did not have a single rifle. However, as soon as they rose
up, Syngman Rhee collapsed. Of course, the problem is not solved
yet. The Americans are still in South Korea and they have chosen a
new running dog. The struggle of the South Korean people is likely
to go on. The masses in Turkey have also risen up against the
running dogs of the United States. So we have been holding mass
rallies these days in support of the South Korean people and the
Turkish people. The Japanese people are rising up, too. In two days
there will be a broad mass campaign. I have learned that hundreds
of thousands or even millions of people will rise up against the
government of Kishi Nobusuke for entering into a military alliance
with the United States. We shall also hold a mass rally to support
the masses of the Japanese people.
Some of you may say that South Korea, Japan and Turkey are far
from the United States; therefore people are not afraid of the
United States and dare to rise up against its running dogs. But
please look at Cuba. Where is Cuba? Very close to the United
States, only half an hour by flight. In the beginning the Cuban
people were barehanded. The Cuban ruler Batista had killed over
20000 Cubans in just a few years. You may say that China is a big
country, with a large population. Cuba is by no means a big
country, with only six million people and so close to the United
States, and Batista killed as many as 20000 people. In November
1956 Fidel Castro, a national hero of Cuba, led 82 people in a boat
from Mexico to Cuba. They were defeated by the Fidel Castro and his
younger brother, Raul Castro. They had to move to the mountainous
areas and conduct guerrilla warfare. They fought for more than two
years, seizing a lot of rifles and guns and even tanks. Batista had
to run away. You see, the Cuban people were barehanded at the
beginning, whereas the Batista regime was armed to its teeth, with
such a big country as the United States in its support and so
close. However, when the people united, they drove Batista away.
Has any one of you ever been to Cuba? If not, we suggest that you
go to Cuba for a visit. For such a small country to dare to make
revolution right beside the United States makes it highly necessary
to study the Cuban experience. In that sense, the Cuba revolution
has world significance. All the people in Latin-America welcome the
people's government of Cuba.
The anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist struggle of Africa has
even greater world significance. Instead of one country, many
countries are in revolution; instead of millions of people, tens of
millions of people and even more are involved in revolutionary
struggle for national liberation. We entirely sympathize with you;
and we stand foursquare behind you. At the same time, we regard
your struggle as support and help for us. We also regard the
struggle in Cuba as helping us, as well as the struggle of the
whole of Latin America. The struggles of countries such as South
Korea, Turkey, South Vietnam and Japan have helped us, too. All the
people in Asia have helped us. Of course, first of all the
socialist countries have assisted us. The Soviet Union has assisted
us. Besides the socialist countries, the broad anti-colonialist and
anti-imperialist struggles of the people in Asia, Africa and Latin
America have assisted us. By diverting the enemy's strength they
reduce the pressure on us. As you have assisted us, we are
obligated to assist you. We support and help each other.
At the same time, we support the conference of the big powers.
The summit meeting of four countries to be held in France is also a
means. To use an expression in Chinese, this is called walking on
two legs. To talk with them at the table at the big-power
conference is one leg; the anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist
struggle of the people in Asia, Africa and Latin America is the
other. With two legs one can stand and walk well. With one leg
missing one cannot walk. We believe you agree that a world war
should not be fought. We are opposed to a world war. However, we
are for the people of various countries oppressed by imperialism to
have the right to rise up against their oppressors. In order to
avert a world war, the people of various countries should rise up
against their oppressors. I can mention some examples to be more
concrete. Algeria has pinned down half a million French troops.
Should a world war break out, France would have fewer forces to
participate in the war, since it has only so many troops. The
rising of the South Korean people has tied up the U.S. forces
stationed in South Korea. The rising of Turkish people will tie up
the U.S. forces stationed in Turkey. If the Japanese people also
rise up, they will pin down more U.S. forces. Some people say that
if you want world peace, you should not oppose imperialism, lest
imperialism be displeased. According to them, no country should
wage anti-imperialist struggles. In my view, it is better to walk
on two legs. The rising of the people in various countries against
their oppressors is one leg, an important one at that, maybe the
primary one. To talk with the oppressors at the table at the
big-power conference on disarmament, on the solution of the German
question and so on is another leg. With these two legs on the move,
it would be difficult for a world war to break out. If there were
only one leg, it could not be assured that imperialism would not
launch a world war. Imperialism is good at deception. Imperialism
also has two legs, one being deception, the other, oppression. To
the deception of imperialism we are skeptical like you. Then why
should we support the big-power conference? To avail ourselves of
the opportunity to see things and to expose that leg of theirs is
faulty.
I agree with the idea expressed by the Algerian friend just now
that countries like or roughly similar to Algeria should be
prepared for long-term struggle. It is helpful to be mentally
prepared. There are difficulties, sometimes great ones. As I said
before, as for the struggle in China, the armed struggle alone took
22 years, whereas your struggle has lasted for only six years. In
the 22 years we committed several mistakes, namely, two opportunist
mistakes of the "left" deviation, costing heavy losses to our
strength. Before the Long March our military strength had been
300000 troops, but fewer than 30000, less than a tenth, survived,
owing to our mistakes. It is important not to waver at a moment
like that. Which were stronger, 30000 or 300000? Because we had
learned our lessons, our fewer than 30000 troops were even stronger
than the 300000. Later on, our army had the opportunity to grow,
and when the Japanese surrendered in 1945, it became one million
strong. In 1946 the United States and Chiang Kai-shek attacked us.
The United States did not send its own troops, but helped Chiang
Kai-shek fight against us. As a result, we lost many places, many
cities. Chiang Kai-shek launched an all-out attack on us, and we
adopted the tactics of withdrawal in order to wipe out the enemy's
effectives. In one year we fought ten campaigns. Although we lost a
lot of places, we put out of an action more than 100 divisions of
enemy forces. Only then did we launch counterattacks. By 1949 we
were in the superior position, whereas Chiang Kai-shek's troops
were inferior, most having been annihilated by us. We liberated
many big cities, such as Shenyang, Beiping, Tianjin, Ji'nan and
Zhengzhou. We captured their places and wiped out their main
forces. Only then did they ask for peace and send representatives
to Beinping. We then adopted the method of walking on two legs. We
knew that they asked for peace in order to deceive us. However, if
we had not talked peace, the common people would not have believed
us; they would have thought Chiang Kai-shek loved peace, whereas we
loved war. Well, then, let us talk peace! Send your delegation! It
was then that they sent a delegation, which negotiated with us for
some three weeks. We told them they should surrender their arms and
give their political power to us. Their representatives signed the
agreement and sent people back to Nanjing, the seat of the
Kuomintang government, asking for approval. They said no. they
would not surrender their arms or give up their political power.
That tore up their mask of "peace." They refused to sign and we
crossed the Yangtze River the next day, stretching out the other
leg. The enemy often tries to deceive us; we should be clear about
this. Sometimes it is necessary to accept proposals for negotiation
and to expose them during negotiation. This is the way two legs
walk. It is not surrendering to the enemy; rather it is making the
enemy surrender. For instance, the people of the world now demand
disarmament, with which we concur, and we should like to see if the
United States disarms or not. If they do, so much the better. If
they do not, it will prove that they are deceiving. The enemy
should be exposed by one method or another. In fact, peaceful
negotiation is also a method to expose the enemy. This is our view.
We do not believe that Eisenhower loves peace very much. How can an
imperialist love peace? What they love is colonialism.
We are pleased to note that so many of our African friends have
done away with superstition. Superstition number one is to be
afraid of imperialism. You have done away with this and are not
afraid of imperialism anymore. However, I believe there are still
some people among the 200 million of your African population who
are afraid of imperialism, who entertain superstition of
imperialism or illusions of it. Therefore you have to work on them.
In eight or tenth years there will gradually be more and more
people, maybe 100 million or more out of 200 million, who will rise
up and be entirely free from superstition and not afraid of
imperialism. By then victory will be certain. More often than not,
people bear much superstition. The superstition of imperialism is
but one kind. Another kind is not to believe in one's own strength,
to regard it as too small. The western world is considered good for
everything, whereas we yellow people, black people and brown people
are considered good for nothing. This is a kind of superstition,
too. How could we be good for nothing? I believe whatever the white
people can do, we can do, too, and we can do it even better than
they, because they are very few in number, only hundreds of
millions. Besides, we should differentiate among the white people;
not all of them are bad people. Only one tenth is bad people,
whereas mine tenths are good ones. They may be taken in for the
time being. They are not yet awakened politically, but some day
they will be here I mainly refer to the proletariat and others who
sympathize with them, such as the working people, including the
farmers. Among those who are really afraid of nuclear war there are
white people, too, including some capitalists. There are
contradictions among the imperialist countries, which gives us room
to maneuver. They are not that united. The Americans and the
British are not that united, nor are the Americans and the West
Germans. Adenauer does not see eye to eye with the British.
Therefore, for workers the world over and patriotic people
oppressed by imperialism there are many allies.
From our own experience, in terms of strategy one must not be
afraid of the enemy. Imperialism is weakened, and one, two, even
three of its ten fingers have been cut off. In the Soviet Union
there are no tsars anymore. The country has become a Leninist
Soviet Union. China is also free from the rule of imperialism.
Besides these two countries, there are ten more socialist
countries. In all the countries the fingers of imperialism have
been cut off. Other countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America
have won independence. Still others are struggling for it. It can
be said that the remaining fingers of imperialism have been
injured. For example, Cuba is right beside the United States and it
has driven away the running dogs of the United States. In Algeria
there is a large chunk of liberated area. Guinea has become
independent. In Africa there are more independent countries. It
seems a big storm is gathering in Africa. The same kind of storm is
also in the making in Latin America. Some people say that in recent
years the national liberation movements in Asia have fallen off.
Yet on July 14, 1958, a revolution happened in Iraq. In the war
over the Suez Canal in 1956, imperialism did not win; Egypt did.
Furthermore, the people in South Korea and Turkey have risen in the
past few weeks. Seemingly, the Japanese people are very hopeful,
too. So now imperialism cannot get to sleep. Friends say that some
of our counties have difficulties and worries. We think there is a
side of happiness and a side of worry. Looking at imperialism, I
can see only the worry side and not the happy one. You think the
United states can get to sleep? I don't believe it can. For them,
it is just like the Chinese saying: A chain of 15 pails draws well
water, seven up and eight down. Therefore, we have full reason to
despise them in terms of strategy, to be confident that the
imperialist system is doomed and that people the world over will
surely stand up. In terms of tactics, we should be cautious. We
should carefully study every step to be taken. We should pay
attention to them. We should take our work seriously. To combine
the two, strategically we should despise the enemy, but tactically
we should take them seriously. Only by so doing can one dare to
think, dare to speak and dare to act.
You wish to look at the Chinese experience, which we much
welcome. Maybe some of our experience has reference value for you,
including the experience of revolution and that of construction.
However, I should like to warn you friends that China has its own
historical conditions, whereas you have yours. The Chinese
experience can be only for your reference.
Our unity is to be celebrated. Because of it, we shall surely
win. Our victories are to be celebrated. Let us be united and
strive for more victories.
(PLA Daily)