Excerpts of Talks between Leading Comrades and Foreign Guests (No. 4)

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Serial No.  000021

Excerpts of Talks between Leading Comrades and Foreign Guests (No. 4)

 April 6, 1982

Contents
I. On the Domestic Situation in Our Country
II. On Third World Countries Cooperation Issues
III. On China-U.S. Relations

I. On the Domestic Situation in Our Country

Chinese Communist Party Vice Chairman Deng Xiaoping met with Brazilian Foreign Minister Ramiro Saraiva Guerreiro on March 25, 1982 and summarized our country's domestic situation in two words:  backward and hopeful.  The Vice Chairman said that at present our country is politically stable, which is its most significant condition.  There has been considerable speculation in the international community about China.  Some say that we are competing for power and profit -- that is unfounded. The current political situation in China is the best it has been since the 1950s. After the smashing of the Gang of Four, all kinds of situations have gradually become better. The Third Plenary Session of the Central Committee formulated a political, ideological and organizational line that is more in line with the actual situation in China.

Accomplishing the Four Modernization is the main item on our agenda.  We will not waver in our adherence to this goal unless there is a war. For this reason, we have implemented a policy of development in the economic sphere, which has already yielded initial results, and decentralization in the internal sphere, giving enterprises and rural areas the right to run their own businesses.  Internal decentralization of power that gives enterprises and the countryside autonomy, has also been effective, especially in the countryside. The volume of production in many rural areas has been doubling or increasing by even more than that. There is nothing mysterious about that. There has been no additional investment. We simply gave the rural areas the autonomy to adapt to local conditions. The same applies to industry; we have expanded the management autonomy of industrial and mining enterprises.  This has begun to bear fruit.  

There is no additional machinery, no additional investment, just give the rural areas the autonomy to adapt to local conditions. The same applies to industry, we have expanded the management autonomy of industrial and mining enterprises, and it has begun to bear fruit. 

Vice Chairman Deng also said that in order to realize the Four Modernizations, we need to do many things. Two things have been done recently: one is institutional reform, overcoming bureaucracy, streamlining organizations. In layman's terms, this means demolishing the temple and moving out the Bodhisattva. There are quite a few people who do not believe that we can get it done, because the problem is too complex. One of the important issues is how to make proper arrangements for the old cadres, all of whom are old revolutionaries.  Pilot projects have shown most, although not 100% of the old cadres, are concerned about the overall situation. If we don't get the system reform right, we will lose the hearts of the people, and if that happens, there will be no hope for the Four Modernizations. The second thing is to deal seriously with economic crimes. We have formulated a special law to deal with them strictly. If this is not done well, the open-door policy cannot continue. Therefore, while we adhere to the open-door policy, we must also severely punish economic criminals. Another important thing is to promote spiritual civilization and educate people, including children, to have ideals, morals and discipline. This is work that we will have to do in order to achieve the goals of the Four Modernizations.  This work too is in a sense a struggle.  I believe that through these efforts and struggles, there is hope for the realization of the Four Modernizations. 

II. On Cooperation among Third World Countries

When Vice Chairman Deng Xiaoping met with Foreign Minister Guerreiro on March 25, 1982, he talked about cooperation among Third World countries.  Addressing the issue of cooperation among the Third World countries, Vice Chairman Deng Xiaoping said that cooperation and exchanges among Third World countries is very important and should be put on the agenda. Apart from certain new fields of science and technology that require cooperation with the developed countries, there is a wide range of other areas where Third World countries can learn something from one another to different degrees. Cooperation among Third World countries is an extremely important part of the development of their economies. If we do not develop ourselves, others will always look down on us and even bully us.

When Premier Zhao Ziyang met with Brazilian Foreign Minister Guerrero on this issue, he also said that the developing countries should not focus only on the developed countries.  Even more important is that they strengthen exchanges and cooperation with one other so as to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. Developing countries should unite and work together to change the unjust and unreasonable international economic order and promote global negotiations. Solidarity and cooperation based on developing countries is a very important step to promote global negotiations.

Premier Zhao Ziyang met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Upper Volta Mr. Felix Tientaraboum on March 13, 1982.  Premier Zhao in his talk put special emphasis on our policy towards Africa and the solidarity and cooperation of Third World countries. Premier Zhao Ziyang said that the general policy of China's foreign policy remains to stand together and unite with the Third World, oppose hegemonism and maintain world peace. The principles of mutual relations between China and African countries were announced by Premier Zhou Enlai during his visit to Africa in 1964.  The principles and guidelines of our mutual relations with African countries have not changed. In the past few years, we have made less progress in economic and technical cooperation with some African countries, mainly because we have encountered difficulties in the economic field. Although we would like to develop more economic cooperation with friendly countries, we are not able to do so. This is by no means a change in China's foreign policy, especially with regard to Africa. We are doing our best to do whatever we can do. As China's economic situation gradually improves, our economic and technological cooperation with African countries will grow.  Premier Zhao Ziyang also said that the developing countries of the Third World are faced with the serious task of developing their national economies and improving the living standards of their people now that they have become politically independent.  To accomplish this task, we must unite to change the unjust and unreasonable old international economic order and establish a new international economic order. This struggle is a continuation of the movement for political independence of the newly independent countries since the 1950s.

I participated in the Cancun Summit last October, which achieved some successes but left the issue of global negotiations inconclusive because the United States was intransigent. It looks like it will be a long struggle. Premier Zhao pointed out that the most fundamental issue in promoting global negotiations and changing the existing old international economic order is to rely on the solidarity of developing countries and to build on economic and technical cooperation among developing countries. Although we developing countries are relatively poor, we have abundant resources, and each country has its own experiences, so we can complement each other's strengths and support each other. We in the Third World have a lot to offer in this area.

The development of South-South cooperation is not in opposition to North-South dialogue and global negotiations, but rather complements it.  We are willing to work together with third world countries for this purpose.

III. On China-US Relations

In his meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Guerrero on March 24, 1982, Vice Premier Huang Hua pointed out that the outstanding problem in Sino-U.S. relations is that the United States has violated the basic principles of the Shanghai Communiqué and the Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and the United States by insisting on selling weapons to Taiwan, undermining China's sovereignty and interfering in our internal affairs. There is now a theory in the United States that China is in need of the United States in the face of a serious threat from the Soviet Union, and that China will swallow this bitter pill no matter how the United States handles the Taiwan issue. This is a complete miscalculation. I have never bent the knee or begged from anyone in the most difficult times in the past, and now I can live very well without the United States. For the sake of world peace, I am willing to maintain normal relations with the United States, but if the United States continues its mistaken policy of selling weapons to Taiwan there is already a precedent for handling this as we have seen in the downgrading of China-Netherlands relations.  The China-U.S. relationship would definitely regress.

 At present, the U.S. and China are still negotiating.  We can't yet say what the future holds. At the same time, the Soviet Union, considering that Sino-American relations are now in crisis, has on the one hand increased the number of troops stationed on the Sino-Soviet border, and on the other hand demanded the resumption of negotiations with us.  They are trying to bring us into their orbit by both hard and soft means. This is also a delusion. Although China is relatively poor, she still knows her own weight and knows how to defend her national dignity.  She will not give in to pressure or to temptations dangled by others. She will not abandon her principles.

The development of South-South cooperation is not in opposition to North-South dialogue and global negotiations, but rather complements it.  The principles and guidelines of our mutual relations with African countries have not changed. In the past few years, we have made less progress in economic and technical cooperation with some African countries, mainly because we have encountered difficulties in the economic field. Although we would like to develop more economic cooperation with friendly countries, we are not able to do so. This is by no means a change in China's foreign policy, especially with regard to Africa. We are doing our best to do whatever we can do. As China's economic situation gradually improves, our economic and technological cooperation with African countries will have new development. Premier Zhao Ziyang also said that the developing countries of the Third World are faced with the serious task of developing their national economies and improving the living standards of their people after their political independence. To accomplish this task, we must unite to change the unjust and unreasonable old international economic order and establish a new international economic order. This struggle is a continuation of the movement for political independence of our newly independent countries since the 1950s. 

Vice Premier Huang said that the above shows that our foreign policy and approach are independent and autonomous.  We adhere to the basic principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and non-interference in each other's internal affairs with both superpowers. Both superpowers want to play the China card and try to bring us into orbit around their hegemony. This will not work. China's foreign policy is formulated in accordance with our consistent principles and the interests of all peoples of the world, as well as our judgment of the current international situation. Under no circumstances will China play this card or that card.  Our policy will never be influenced by Sino-American or Sino-Soviet relations.