Polish Communist Party Note on "Current Policy toward China"

The International Department
CC PUWP

Secret

Warsaw, April 28, 1972

Note regarding our current policy toward China

[…]

Conclusions regarding the Sino-Polish relations:

The fundamental principle of our policy toward China is to fully cooperate with the Soviet Union – our main ally. This principle favors both the interests of the socialist commonwealth and those of Poland.

Given the above, our party and government conduct a concurrent China policy with that of the CPSU and the Soviet government. Together with the CPSU we are decisively countering the factional course of the Chinese leadership both in the area of international politics and within the international communist and workers' movement.

Our China policy should continue to be consulted with the CPSU, it should cooperate with the Soviet policy on every single stage.

Just like the USSR, we are in favor of a gradual normalization of state relations between Poland and China. At the same time, we are decisively rejecting all efforts of such normalization which would be based on the anti-Soviet aspects…We must limit ourselves to maintaining our diplomatic relations and gradually developing economic exchanges. However, we should continue to conduct a thorough observation of China's capabilities and intentions to a possible activation of bilateral state relations. The conclusions which will be reached regarding this matter will be presented to the party leadership.

Given the above, the International Department proposes the following:

1) At the current stage, we should limit our contacts to a working level regarding economic matters, as well as those in science and technology, and to continue the diplomatic activity of our embassies and consulates as we have been so far; any contacts of some other type could play a role only under the conditions of significantly positive changes in China's current policy; and they should be consulted with Soviet comrades;

2) While being in favor of activating economic relations and taking on concrete necessary means in this direction, we should at the same time maintain economic contacts at relatively low and working levels…

3) In connection with China's presence at this years Poznan Trade Fair and Poland's consent to this fact, we should point to the nature of the Chinese exhibits which should be purely economic so they cannot be exploited for political and propaganda purposes;

4) While expressing consent in principle to the Chinese propositions to renew contacts in the area of science and technology, we should limit them at the moment and absolutely not include the areas of the economy connected with defense and the most modern areas of science (e.g. electronics);

5) We should begin to systematically examine the issues of contemporary China, as well as to create a suitable academic base. This is why we propose for this purpose to have the following institutions and suitable academic circles to take on the above mentioned topics within their capabilities:

- The Higher School of Social Studies
– the examination of the Maoist doctrine (in cooperation with the East-West Center)

- The Polish Institute of International Relations – the analysis of the influence of China's policy on the situation in Europe

- The Department of Philology (Sinology) of the Warsaw University – social, cultural, scientific, and economic issues of contemporary China (We should also create a group to implement the above; currently, the Sinology Department in the Institute of Oriental Studies is primarily focused on classical philology from the medieval times and it trains Sinologists who are of little use to our current needs)

6) To express consent to the activity of the Sino-Polish Friendship Society in the areas which correspond with our current political needs (currently this activity has been suspended), that is, in the area of organizing parties of exclusively cultural nature. We should also reorganize the leadership of the Society while ensuring that they are in tune with the current demands of our relations with the PRC. Through the activities of the Society we could stress our admiration for the cultural achievements of the Chinese nation while maintaining unchanged and principal political critique of the activities of the PRC leadership;

7) We should not currently accept the Chinese propositions regarding establishing tourist contacts which the Chinese side desires to exploit for political and propaganda purposes. All future contacts in the area of sports can only be taken up after a careful investigation of its real aims;

8) Our delegations should closely cooperate with the USSR delegations in the area of the UN and other international organizations in all of the issues connected with their propositions or initiatives. We should also, together with the USSR and other socialist countries, counter China's attempts to impose its ideological polemics on the forum of these organizations, as well as to counter the PRC's tactics of pitting “Third World” countries against the socialist nations;

9) We should continue to publish in the press, and especially in political and academic journals, well-researched publications which criticize “Maoism” as an ideology which runs contrary to Marxism-Leninism, as well as we should criticize the factional aspects of the PRC's policy.

Our policy toward China should, at all its stages, be closely coordinated with the position of the leadership of the party. In connection with this, all departments and institutions are obligated to consult all their moves regarding China with the International Department of the CC PUWP. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in constant consultation of coordinating all moves toward the PRC.


The CC PUWP International Department