Cable from Chen Jiakang, 'Riyadal's Views on China's Testing of an Atomic Bomb'

Cable Received by the [Chinese] Foreign Ministry

Level: Urgent

Received from the United Arab Republic Desk

Foreign Ministry Incoming (64) You (1091)

Riad’s Views on China's Testing of an Atomic Bomb

To the Foreign Ministry:

I met [Mahmoud] Riad, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Republic [Egypt], on 20 October and handed him the cable that Premier Zhou [Enlai] sent the leaders of various countries and a duplicate copy of our government’s declaration. (The original has already been given to Nasser through Zulfikar Sabri.) We repeatedly explained China’s position on the issue of nuclear weapons and the content of our government’s suggestions.

Riad then shared three points of view below:

“1. China’s detonation of the atomic bomb was for its own security and this is completely right. Although the United Arab Republic is very poor and its economic situation quite bad, it still spent quite a lot of money over the years for its own security. The West exhorted not to use this money on security but on economic development. We knew that if we were to do this, the economic situation would be somewhat better but we would lose our security.

2. The United Arab Republic felt that China should regain its place at the United Nations quickly but the West was still dragging its feet. The policy of the West toward China is simply not viable. 

3. Peace and peaceful co-existence cannot do without a basis. They cannot be established on the basis of colonialism, and can only be established on the basis of justice.” 

For your information, please.

Chen Jiakang

22 October 1964