CC CPSU Information on Chinese Foreign Policy Issues

CC CPSU information on Chinese foreign policy issues

Draft Translation

As a part of information exchange, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union would like to express a few opinions on the matter of Chinese-American rapprochement.

Chinese leaders as well as American administration are evidently trying to promote the relations between the USA and the People's Republic of China (PRC) with an aim to carry out their plans of fighting against the Soviet Union and other socialist countries, against communist and national-liberation movements.

For a long time, Beijing has been promoting the idea of creating a “common front-line” with imperialism and reactionary circles. What makes the current situation quite unusual is the fact that the United States of America are more and more actively showing their willingness to join such a front-line. Beijing is using every opportunity to demonstrate their preparedness to closely cooperate with Washington and to create a global strategic alliance of the PRC and the USA based on their joint opposition against the Soviet Union and the whole socialist community. Through their rapprochement with the USA, China wants to compensate their lack of real possibilities and strong position in the fight against the Soviet Union and other socialist countries as well as in the international context trying to receive help from the west to modernize and enlarge its military and economic potential and to thwart the process of détente. The effort of the Americans to use the anti-socialist course of Beijing policy for their own benefit has always been one of the main features of the international policy of the USA. At the present time, the Americans would like to benefit – to the greatest possible extent – from what they regard as the developing “internal stability of China” and the existence – as declared by Hua Guofeng – of “common features” in China's attitude towards the USA in a wide range of international problems. The attempts of Carter's administration to “play the China card” have a single goal – to exert political pressure against the Soviet Union and the whole socialist community, against forces fighting for national liberation, to secure the interests of American imperialism in Africa, Asia, Near East and to reach various concessions at the talks on the reduction of strategic weapons and other important international issues.

Special attention should be paid to the military-political aspects of the Chinese-American rapprochement. The influential political circles of the USA aim to use China – to the extent corresponding to the national interests of the USA – as a military and political counterweight to the Soviet Union. They are trying to carry out “regulated” military cooperation with China, to eliminate the restrictions imposed on the sales of current technologies and equipment which can be used for military purposes.

Formally, the administration of the USA has acted in a very reserved way concerning their military cooperation with China, knowing that any activity of the USA is this matter could cause similar reaction from our side. President Carter and State Secretary Vance assured us that they will “not allow American-Chinese relations to prevent the development of the relations between the Soviet Union and the USA”.

However, the fact is that the USA started to sell to China the latest equipment of a so called “grey zone”, i.e. such equipment which can be used for both civilian and military purposes. Washington is encouraging their allies to provide Beijing with military technologies and in many cases also with military equipment. The allies of the USA in NATO – members of the west European community – were at the Assembly held in June this year pressing for a recommendation to sell weapons to China. Thanks to the many protests the Soviet Union raised via its diplomatic channels and pressure from progressive West-European public, this recommendation was not adopted. However, the Assembly expressed their intention to expand “the economic and technological cooperation with China”. A business agreement between PRC and EEC gives China an access to military equipment and strategic materials from NATO arsenal. In the light of Beijing's propositions on the “inevitability” of a new world war, the growth of military potential of China through the support and help from the imperialistic countries poses a great danger for the socialist countries and for the world peace.

The Minister of Defense of PRC, a member of the politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Xu Xiangqian, in an article on the anniversary of the establishment of the People's Army in China declared that “war is a normal thing” and the “third world war can break out at any time” and called for “actions carried out by revolutionary forces” promising support to anybody, who “fights firmly against” the world socialism. Hua Guofeng declared openly that the reinforcement of the Chinese military power is “the most reliable way to guarantee the victory of” so called “true revolutionary forces in the world”.

The fact that Chinese leaders and the representatives of Washington administration cooperate in certain Anti-Soviet efforts was confirmed when Z. Brzezinski, Assistant to President of the USA, visited China in May. In his discussion with Chinese representatives, Brzezinski emphasized that the interest of the USA lies with “powerful China”, a direction leading to the full normalization of American-Chinese relations. His counterpart, Deng Xiaoping, spoke about the concord of the strategic interest of China and the USA and expressed that China is interested in obtaining American weapons. In fact, the parties of this meeting reached an agreement which started a new phase of the political degradation of Beijing leaders – a phase of direct cooperation of Chinese social-chauvinists and American imperialists in their fight against socialism and peace.

At present, complete normalization of the Chinese-American relations is prevented mainly by the unsolved matter of Taiwan. However, according to our information, Carter has adopted a decision to reach the normalization by the end of this year of at the beginning of the next provided that China makes corresponding steps towards it. The USA have announced three conditions for the solution of Taiwan problem: the USA will continue to trade with Taiwan and provide it with support – including military support – even after the normalization of the relations with China; the USA will establish a so called “bureau” instead of an embassy in Taipei; Beijing provides a clear “signal” that they will not use military forces against Taiwan. The government circles of the USA expect that China can agree with the first two conditions. Concerning the third condition, the Americans insinuated that they will be satisfied if Beijing provides a unilateral declaration in a suitable form.

The Americans believe the China is more than the USA interested in their mutual rapprochement. Chinese actions, such as provocations against Vietnam, ongoing attacks against the policy of Cuba, Chuan Chua's trip to Zaire, military support provided to Mobute, support expressed to the capitulation of Sadet etc. are regarded by Washington as evidence that Beijing clearly understands what the USA expect them to do.

Even though Brzezinski's trip to Beijing demonstrated clear difference of standpoints of the two parties and contradictions between the USA and PRC, which need to be used for the benefit of peace and socialism, it also confirmed that Washington and Beijing continue to seek ways to make their “common interests” become a part of their policies, and they started to coordinate their actions in various parts of the world. This is also clearly evidenced by the fact that before reopening talks with Japan concerning the conclusion of an contract for peace and cooperation, both the Chinese and the Americans exerted pressure on the Japanese to make them agree to insert a clause in the contract dealing with fight against hegemony, whose focus is Anti-Soviet and Anti-Vietnam. The Japan-China contract concluded on the basis of anti-socialism poses a great danger for peace and security in Asia and the whole world. In fact, the USA and PRC have already divided their work: The Americans are more active in Europe, in the Near East and in Africa while the Chinese operate in South-East Asia. However, their efforts are directed in the same way – against socialism, against progressive changes, against the process of détente.

The effort of Beijing and Washington to create a bloc is directed against the life interests of socialist countries. Both of them are using the same tactics of a so called “differentiated approach” trying to achieve a single aim: to disrupt the unity of the socialist community, to sow the seeds of discord and distrust among socialist countries.

The Soviet Union is convinced that the effort of Washington and Beijing to exert pressure on the Soviet Union and other countries of the socialist community has no future. We have informed Washington that if they continue to promote their relations with China, mainly in the military area and against the interests of the Soviet Union and its allies, it will cause large harm to the Soviet-American relations. The Soviet Union is determined to continue to reveal and act against any attempts to use the Chinese-American rapprochement against the world socialism, individual socialist countries, against peace and security of nations. The cahoots of Beijing and imperialist oppose the international process of détente which reflects the real life interests of nations from all around the world and is largely supported by them. The fight of the Soviet Union, other socialist countries and all progressive forces for détente has brought about significant changes in the international context. The more determined the progressive forces are in counteracting the actions of China and the USA which pose danger to peace, the more successfully this process will continue in the future.

The planned Chinese-American alliance will not be powerful enough to disintegrate the unity and alliance between socialist countries. However, it would be a great mistake to ignore such attempts. In order to fight them off we need to be active, well coordinated and strongly determined in out collective actions.

The alliance of Beijing leaders with imperialism is contrary to true life interests of Chinese nation. Inevitably, it will lead to a conflict within the Communist Party of China and within the Chinese society. The alliance of Beijing with imperialistic countries conceals deep contracts between the parties. As this pack will get stronger, the hegemonic ambitions of Beijing will increase, leading to open conflicts with the needs of imperialistic countries. Not only countries neighboring China but also other countries in Asia and Africa could get dragged into these conflicts, which is contrary to the needs and interests of their people.

We find it necessary to mobilize the arsenal of political and ideological means of our parties and countries to intensify the fight against a serious danger of the present time – creation of a “common front-line” of Beijing and imperialistic countries, to counteract the cahoots between Chinese leaders and American reactionary circles. We hope that our fraternal parties and socialist countries will use all their potential to achieve these objectives.