Summary of Ideas Expressed by the Prime Minister Zhou Enlai

Summary of Ideas Expressed by the Prime Minister Zhou Enlai

Note. Top Secret

2^nd November 1963

I. M. E. Faure expressed, on behalf of General de Gaulle, president of the French Republic, the desire to restore normal diplomatic relations between France and China. The Chinese government welcomes this positive attitude from the French government and confirms that the Chinese government shares this same positive desire to establish and develop relations between China and France.

II. Taking into consideration the complete equality between China and France, and starting from the positive desire to improve relations between China and France, the Chinese government is putting forward a formula that aims to directly establish diplomatic relations between China and France.

1. The government of the French Republic would send an official note to the Chinese government, whereby it would recognize the People’s Republic of China and propose the immediate establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries, as well as the exchange of ambassadors.

2. The Chinese government would reply with a note declaring that, as the sole legal government representing the Chinese people, the government of the People’s Republic of China welcomes the note of the government of the French Republic and that it is ready to immediately establish diplomatic relations between China and France, as well exchange ambassadors.

3. China and France would then agree to publish simultaneously the exchanged notes, and would immediately exchange ambassadors.

III. If the Chinese government put forward the above proposal, it is because the Chinese and French parties (Prime Minister Zhou Enlai and M. E. Faure), basing themselves on the position of General de Gaulle, president of the French Republic, as exposed by M. E. Faure and according to which they do not support the creation of ‘two Chinas’, reached a tacit agreement on the following points:

1. The government of the French Republic will only recognize the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the Chinese people, which automatically implies that this no longer applies to the alleged ‘Republic of China’ in Taiwan.

2. France will support the rights and the legitimate seat of the People’s Republic of China at the UN, and will no longer support the representation of the alleged ‘Republic of China’ at the UN.

3 .In the case where, following the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, the government of the ‘alleged Republic of China’ would recall its ‘diplomatic representative’ and withdraw its presence in France, France, in a similar way, would recall its diplomatic representative and withdraw its presence in Taiwan.