Zhou Enlai gives instructions on how the Chinese side should respond when confronted with questions of whether China should back down in regards to the North Korean issue and the Taiwan issue. In particular, he emphasizes that the Chinese side should focus on blaming American imperialism for the invasions of North Korea and Taiwan and maintaining that China's involvement in these issues is essential.
December 16, 1950
Telegram from Zhou Enlai to Wu Xiuquan and Qiao Guanhua
This document was made possible with support from Leon Levy Foundation
Wu [Xiuquan [and] Qiao [Guanhua]:
Have received your telegram from 3 o’clock, [December] 14. Your answers to the two questions posed by Lie were very good. But be careful, as Lie is completely a US spy. According to intelligence, he even rejected the modest pressure that the UK imperialists wanted him to put on the US imperialists. So [we] must guard against his stirring up trouble for the relationship between China and Asia and China and Arabic countries. You’d better have a talk with Rau directly. If there a chance to meet with Andy Jean of Iran, [you] can also make clear our attitude directly. For the content of the talks, besides basing [yourself] on the principles stated in our three telegrams of December 8, 13, and 14, and the position you held when responding to Lie, you can also adopt Malik’s attitude towards the twelve countries (not including the Philippines) on the Political Committee of the UN General Assembly. Emphasize in your explanation that we earnestly hope to make great efforts to end the Korean War as soon as possible. But only negotiations based on our proposal can bring about a true armistice. And the UN General Assembly Resolution on [December] 14 is not only illegal and invalid because representatives from our country did not participate or agree, but also the armistice in the first place and the negotiations on this only suit the needs of the USA and UK bloc of continuing the invasion of Korea and the invasion of Taiwan, bombing China and threatening Asia and world peace. We absolutely cannot agree with this kind of fake armistice and also ask that the gentlemen representatives who truly hope for peace and people over the world who love peace to try to distinguish truth from falsehood and distinguish clearly between right and wrong .
If representatives of our country are deprived of the right to speak at the Political Committee discussion accusing the USA of invading China, agree to distribute the text of the speech at the press conference.
Zhou Enlai
December 16 [1950]
Zhou Enlai advises the Chinese UN representatives on how to explain and respond to representatives from other countries regarding the Korea issue and the proposed armistice.
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Source
Zhonggong zhongyang wenxian yanjiushi (CPC Central Historical Documents Research Office) and Zhongyang dang'anguan (Central Archives), eds., Jianguo yilai Zhou Enlai wengao (Zhou Enlai’s Manuscripts since the Founding of the PRC), vol. 3 (Beijing: Zhongyang wenxian chubanshe, 2008), 663-664. Translated by Jingxia Yang and Douglas Stiffler.
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2012-05-25
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Telegram
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114245
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Leon Levy Foundation