Draft Agreement Between the Chinese Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist Party on Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation[1]
(October 1936)

1. The Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Nationalist Party and the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, in view of the ever-intensifying aggression against China by the Japanese imperialists, which endangers the preservation of China's territorial sovereignty and the survival of the nation, unanimously hold that only through cooperation between the two parties and the arousing of the people, uniting all parties, groups, and circles throughout the country, and uniting with all nations and states that treat us on an equal footing, and carrying out armed resistance against Japan, can the objectives of expelling Japanese imperialism, defending and restoring China's territorial sovereignty, and striving for national independence and the survival of the nation be achieved. Therefore, both sides have dispatched plenipotentiary representatives to hold negotiations and conclude this Agreement on Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation.

2. Both sides mutually acknowledge, and pledge to each other with the utmost sincerity and determination, to work in unison for the following great political tasks:

A. To carry out armed resistance against Japan, and to defend and restore the territory and sovereignty of all China;

B. To realize a united front of all parties, groups, circles, and armies throughout the country for resisting Japan and saving the nation;

C. To realize a Chinese Democratic Republic founded on democratic principles.

3. In order to strive for the accomplishment of the above political tasks, both sides agree to implement the following necessary steps and methods:

A. From the date of signing this Agreement, both sides shall immediately cease military hostilities against each other.

B. The Chinese Nationalist Party side acknowledges that, through orders issued by the Military Commission of the National Government, it shall cease its attacks

[1] This draft agreement between the Chinese Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist Party on resisting Japan and saving the nation was drafted by Mao Zedong and prepared for Zhou Enlai to bring forth during negotiations with the Nationalist Party. This draft agreement was not signed later.

Draft Agreement Between the Two Parties on Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation

on the Red Army and its encroachment upon the Soviet Area, lift the economic blockade, and acknowledges that, through separate consultation, on the one hand, it will transfer the troops attacking the Red Army away from their current areas to the anti-Japanese front, and on the other hand, it will delineate necessary and suitable base areas for the Red Army, supply the necessary ordnance, uniforms, military funds, grain, and all military supplies, and provide for the replenishment of troops, so that the Red Army may carry out resistance against Japan with peace of mind. The Chinese Communist Party side acknowledges that, through orders issued by the Revolutionary Military Commission of the Soviet Government, the Red Army shall not attack Nationalist Party forces, and acknowledges that during anti-Japanese combat operations, under the condition that the organization and leadership of Communist Party personnel within the Red Army remain unchanged, all national armed forces, including the Red Army, shall implement unified command and unified organization, with the Red Army undertaking designated defense lines and battlefronts.

C. The Chinese Nationalist Party side acknowledges that it shall reform the current political system, abolish all laws and decrees restricting democratic rights, allow the people freedoms of speech, publication, assembly, association, etc., punish traitors and pro-Japanese elements, release political prisoners, release arrested Communist Party members, and acknowledges that henceforth it shall not disrupt the organizations of the Communist Party nor arrest Communist Party personnel. The Chinese Communist Party side acknowledges that it shall cease all statements and actions aimed at overthrowing the Nationalist Party regime by force, and acknowledges that when a Democratic Republic is established nationwide and a National Congress elected by universal suffrage is convened, the Soviet Area shall elect representatives to participate in this Congress, and the Soviet Area shall implement the same democratic system as all China.

D. The Chinese Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist Party jointly acknowledge that, before a National Democratic Congress is convened and a Democratic Government is established in all China, in order to carry out genuine armed resistance against Japan, it is necessary to convene a Congress of Representatives for Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation or a National Defense Conference based on elections from all parties, groups, circles, and armies throughout the country, and that such a Congress for Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation or National Defense Conference shall have the power to decide all policies and plans for resisting Japan and saving the nation.

E. The Chinese Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist Party jointly acknowledge that, in order to carry out genuine armed resistance against Japan, it is necessary to rapidly establish a unified national military command organ (Military Commission and General Headquarters) and for this organ to adopt all practical military steps for genuine resistance against Japan. The Chinese Nationalist Party acknowledges that it is necessary for the Military Commission and General Headquarters of the Red Army to select and dispatch representatives to participate in the national Military Commission and General Headquarters, and guarantees that these representatives shall smoothly carry out their

work; the Chinese Communist Party acknowledges that personnel of the Chinese Nationalist Party shall hold the primary leading position in such organs.

F. The Chinese Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist Party jointly acknowledge that, in order to carry out genuine armed resistance against Japan, it is necessary to conclude a mutual assistance pact with the Soviet Union, while simultaneously maintaining friendship with and obtaining assistance from countries other than Japan, under conditions that do not entail the loss of territorial sovereignty.

4. Both sides mutually acknowledge that, for the perfect execution of this Agreement, the Central Committees of the two parties shall each dispatch an equal number of representatives to form a Mixed Committee, which shall serve as an organ for regular contact and discussion.

5. Both sides mutually acknowledge that the two parties shall faithfully implement all principles and matters stipulated in this Agreement, but at the same time, each side shall maintain its political and organizational independence.

6. Under the principles of this Agreement, both sides may conclude agreements on many individual issues.

7. This Agreement shall take effect after it is signed and exchanged by the representatives of both sides.

8. Any amendment to this Agreement must obtain the consent of both sides.

1. The Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Guomindang and the
Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, cognizant of the fact that
the Japanese imperialists' aggression against China continues to intensify without abatement, threatening the preservation of China's territorial sovereignty and
the survival of the nation, are united in the view that only through cooperation
between the two parties, calling upon the popular masses to arise, and uniting
with all parties, all factions, and all circles throughout the country, and with
those nations and states throughout the world that treat us on an equal basis, to
carry out armed resistance against Japan, can we achieve the objective of driving
out Japanese imperialism, protecting and restoring China's territorial sovereignty, and striving for national independence and survival. For this reason, both
sides have sent plenipotentiary representatives to carry out negotiations and conclude this agreement on resisting Japan and saving the nation.

Our source for this document is the 1985 annual compendium of Wenxian he yanjiu, pp.
184-87. An identical text of the draft agreement, dated simply "October 1936," without
the telegram transmitting it to Zhu De and others, appears in Mao Zedong junshi wenji,
Vol. 1, pp. 640-42. According to Nianpu, Vol. 1, pp. 589-90, the agreement was drafted
by Mao Zedong in September and was used as the basis for subsequent talks with the
Guomindang and other influential factions. (See above, the letter of October 5, 1936, to
Zhang Xueliang.) The text reproduced here was, however, never formally adopted.

2. Both sides mutually agree, with the greatest sincerity and determination, to
work together on the great political tasks listed below:
a. To carry out an armed war of resistance against Japan to protect and
restore the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the whole of China;
b. To bring about an anti-Japanese national salvation united front of all parties, all factions, all circles, and all armies of the whole country;
c. To bring about a Democratic Republic of China founded on democratic
principles.
3. In order to strive to fulfill the above political tasks, both sides agree to
carry out the following essential steps and measures:
a. From the day this agreement is signed, both sides shall immediately cease
hostile military actions.
b. The Chinese Guomindang side agrees, through the Military Affairs
Commission of the National Government, to order the cessation of attacks on the Red Army and the invasion of the soviet areas and to
eliminate the economic blockade. It also agrees, through separate consultations, on the one hand, to transfer the troop units attacking the Red
Army from their present areas and send them to the anti-Japanese
battlefront, and, on the other hand, to demarcate the necessary and
appropriate Red Army bases, to provide the necessary military equipment, military uniforms, military expenses, food supplies, and all other
military supplies, and to replace troop losses, so that the Red Army may
focus on fighting Japan. The Chinese Communist Party side agrees,
through the Revolutionary Military Affairs Commission of the Soviet
Government, to order the Red Army not to attack Guomindang troop
units, and agrees that during the period of the anti-Japanese resistance on the condition that Communist Party personnel within the
organizations and leadership of the Red Army not be changed the
national army, which shall include the Red Army, will have a unified
leadership and a unified structure and that the Red Army shall be responsible for a specified line of defense and battleline.
c. The Chinese Guomindang side agrees to reform its present political system; to abolish all laws and decrees that limit democratic rights; to grant
the people the freedoms of speech, publication, assembly, and association;
to punish Chinese traitors and pro-Japanese elements; to release political
prisoners; and to release Communist Party members already seized. It also
agrees from now on not to destroy Communist Party organizations again,
and no longer to seize members of the Communist Party. The side of the
Chinese Communist Party agrees to stop all words and actions promoting
the armed overthrow of the Guomindang government. It agrees that, when
a democratic republic is set up in the whole country, and when a national
assembly of the whole country is convened after elections based on universal suffrage, the soviet areas will elect representatives to participate in this
assembly, and the soviet areas will carry out a democratic system like that
in all of China.
d. The Chinese Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party both agree
that, until an all-China democratic national assembly is convened and a
democratic government is established, in order to carry out a genuine
anti-Japanese war of armed resistance, it is necessary to convene an anti-Japanese national salvation representative assembly or national defense
conference based on elections by all parties, all factions, all circles, and all
armies nationwide, and that this anti-Japanese national salvation representative assembly or national defense conference shall have the right to decide all anti-Japanese national salvation policy and plans.
e. The Chinese Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party both agree
that, in order to carry on a genuine anti-Japanese war of armed resistance,
it is necessary to set up speedily the organs to unify military leadership
throughout the country (a military affairs commission and a general headquarters), and that all genuine anti-Japanese resistance measures must
come from this organ. The Chinese Guomindang recognizes that the Military Affairs Commission and General Headquarters of the Red Army must
select representatives to participate in the nationwide military affairs commission and general headquarters and also guarantees that said representatives will be able to proceed with their work smoothly. The Chinese
Communist Party recognizes that the personnel of the Chinese
Guomindang in such organs shall occupy the main positions of leadership.
f. The Chinese Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party both agree
that in order to carry on a genuine anti-Japanese war of armed resistance, it
is necessary to sign an agreement of mutual assistance with the Soviet
Union and, at the same time, that we should maintain friendship with and
accept assistance from other countries, apart from Japan, on the condition
that no territorial sovereignty is lost.
4. Both sides agree, with a view to the full application of this agreement, that
the central committees of each of the two parties shall delegate the same number
of representatives to organize a joint committee to be an organ of ongoing liaison
and discussion.
5. Both sides mutually agree that the two parties must faithfully carry out all
the principles and items stipulated in this agreement, but at the same time both
sides will preserve their political and organizational independence.
6. In accordance with the principles of this agreement, the two sides must
sign a number of agreements on particular problems.
7. This agreement shall become effective as of its signing and mutual exchange by the representatives of both sides.
8. Revisions to this agreement require the agreement of both sides.