Speech at a Meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China[1]

(December 27, 1936)

Our past assessment that the Xi’an Incident was revolutionary in nature was correct; if it had not been revolutionary, it would not have yielded such good results. The Xi’an Incident gave the Kuomintang a great shock, becoming the key to its transformation, forcing it to end its ten years of erroneous policies and end the ten-year civil war, and the end of the civil war was also the beginning of the War of Resistance. The Xi’an Incident promoted cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party; it was an epoch-making turn and the beginning of a new stage. After Chiang Kai-shek’s release, has his vacillation finally ended? For now, we can only say it is the beginning of the end; we must mobilize all forces to put an end to his vacillation. The Xi’an Incident lowered Chiang Kai-shek’s status and raised ours. In the Xi’an Incident, we practically gained the leading position; we should use this favorable situation to develop the nationwide situation, expand the Red Army, become more united with Zhang and Yang, and become the core of resistance against Japan—this is our current task. Our specific strategy is to push forward the left wing, win over the middle faction, and strike at the right wing.

[1] Part one of this text is a portion of Mao Zedong’s report on the Xi’an Incident at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China; part two is a portion of Mao Zedong’s concluding remarks at the meeting.

Consolidate the base areas in the Northwest, expand the Red Army and the Soviet areas, and transform the Northeastern Army and the Northwestern Army. Do a good job in mass work nationwide and organize the masses—this is the focus of our work. Strengthen work with regard to the Kuomintang, especially doing a good job in work with the left wing, the middle faction, and the army; attach importance to propaganda work, and Party newspapers should be established. Train cadres; establish Party schools and Red Army schools to cultivate four types of talent: mass, military, Party, and political. The Kuomintang should be urged to convene a national salvation conference three months later.