COMRADE MAO TSE-TUNG ON SCHEMES OF JAPANESE IMPERIALISM

April 1934

[Text] On 17 April, the FOREIGN MINISTRY of Imperialist Japan published its note to the big powers regarding their China policy. Since then the imperialist countries, from the viewpoint of their interests in their spheres of influence in China, have made known opinions expressing dissatisfaction. Immediately, the Kuomintang Nanking government also published treasonous comments of the most shameless nature.

In order to secure the views of the Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic on this matter, the reporter of this paper made a special visit to interview Comrade Mao Tse-tung. The following is the conversation that ensued.

The recent note of the Japanese Foreign Ministry is the clearest indication of Japanese imperialism's plan to gain sole control of China. In this note, Japanese imperialism has openly defined China as a Japanese protectorate. It has directly set forth its policy of proceeding, with the force of arms, Japan's monopoly of all military, political and economic matters in China. The plan of Japanese imperialism is to directly suppress the Chinese Revolution, with its own powers in the course of gaining sole control, and completely colonize China, as well as to create an even more consolidated rear defense area so as to launch a war against the Soviet Union.

Although this plan of Japanese imperialism met with the opposition of other imperialist countries, the true intent of this opposition is limited to their unwillingness to see Japan gain sole control of China and their desire to have China divided up by international imperialism and become the "open door" common colony of all. With regard to the direct suppression of China's revolution and the strengthening of the rear defense area for the war against the Soviet Union, the various imperialist countries are naturally in complete accord with Japan.

The traitorous Kuomintang Government of China behaves in the most shameless and pitiful manner. On the 19th, the spokesman of the Kuomintang Nanking government published a vile and base statement in which it held that it is the "natural obligation" of the Kuomintang Government to "propose international cooperation in order to achieve international peace and security." That is to say, to propose the joint partition of China by international imperialism and to guarantee the security of international imperialism's interests in China.

Of course, the Kuomintang truly "never had the desire to harm any nation," and it is even more true that it entertains no idea of disturbing the peace of Asia. The Kuomintang explains carefully to Japan: "The procurement of military supplies (such as military aircraft) and the employment of foreign military training officers and experts are only for national defense needs, and they are mostly for maintaining domestic peace and order."

Nevertheless, the fact is such that not a single penny of the loans obtained from the various countries of Britain, France, America and Italy, nor a single bullet from the equipment bought from these countries, has been used by the Kuomintang to oppose Japanese imperialism's aggression in Manchuria and North China and Jehol, and French violent and forceful occupation of Tibet. The Kuomintang has always adopted an attitude of compromise and capitulation toward imperialist aggression that does not even come near to anything like national defense.

What is actually meant by the Kuomintang's so-called "maintaining domestic order and peace" is the suppression of the worker-peasant revolutionary movement in China and, essentially, the offensive against the Soviet areas and the Worker-Peasant Red Army.

Chiang Kai-shek, the arch criminal of national betrayal, deployed 70 percent of his regular troops in Kiangsi Province to carry out its fifth "encirclement and suppression." This is exactly an expression of the Kuomintang's loyalty to imperialism, playing the role of street sweeper for imperialism in dividing up China.

The Kuomintang has specifically underscored this point in its explanation to Japan. The Kuomintang went a step further to announce that "if existing unequal matters can be rectified, improvements may be made in Sino-Japanese relations, thereby preserving the common interests of the two countries." This is ample expression of the slavish nature of the Kuomintang running dog. The Kuomintang made such a shameless, tail-wagging announcement to the Japanese to gain their sympathy because it was fearful of not being able to efficiently discharge its duties as a dog and being unable to please every one of its owners.

The Soviet Central Government, representing the hard-working worker-peasant masses of China and the Worker-Peasant Red Army, resolutely opposes Japanese imperialism's plan to gain sole control of China and points out the Kuomintang's plot to guide imperialism toward a common partitioning of China,

In order to achieve freedom and liberation for the nation and society, the masses of Chinese workers and peasants must rise as one and, under the leadership of the Soviet regime, smash the fifth "encirclement and suppression" of the Soviet Red Army by the imperialist Kuomintang. This is the only way to obstruct the path to complete colonization of China, and wrest victory for the Soviet new China.*

* "Red China, Vol 181, 28 April 1934.