The Chinese Communist Party’s Second Declaration on the Japanese Imperialist Invasion of North China

(July 23, 1937)

Extremely Urgent! To all newspaper offices, all organizations, all armed forces, the Chinese Kuomintang, the National Government, the Military Affairs Commission, and all compatriots across the nation!

According to information from various sources, it has been confirmed that the Hebei-Chahar authorities under Song Zheyuan have already accepted the following three conditions put forward by the Japanese side, namely: (1) The Hebei-Chahar authorities shall apologize to the Japanese army; (2) The 29th Army shall withdraw from the area east of the Lugou Bridge and the Yongding River in the Beiping-Tianjin region; (3) The popular anti-Japanese national salvation movement shall be suppressed, and joint Sino-Japanese anti-Communist measures shall be implemented. These conditions have already begun to be carried out. Whether there are any secret agreements in addition to this remains unknown.

Compatriots across the nation! These conditions, which humiliate the nation and forfeit its sovereignty, stand in complete opposition to the demand of the entire Chinese people and the Chinese Communist Party to defend Beiping and Tianjin, defend North China, and not permit Japanese imperialism to occupy a single inch of Chinese territory. They also stand in complete opposition to the four-point minimum position on the Lugou Bridge Incident set forth by Mr. Chiang Kai-shek on July 17, namely: (1) Any settlement must not infringe upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; (2) No unlawful changes shall be tolerated in the administrative organization of Hebei-Chahar; (3) Local officials appointed by the central government, such as Song Zheyuan, Chairman of the Hebei-Chahar Political Affairs Committee, shall not be subject to removal upon anyone’s demand; (4) The area currently garrisoned by the 29th Army shall not be subjected to any restrictions. Our government and people must absolutely not accept such a capitulatory and humiliating treaty! We firmly oppose the acceptance by the Hebei-Chahar authorities under Song Zheyuan of such a treaty that would doom our nation and extinguish our race! We demand a bloody battle to the end to defend every inch of Beiping, Tianjin, and Hebei-Chahar territory!

Compatriots across the nation! The situation is extremely urgent! Large numbers of Japanese naval, land, and air forces are now advancing into China. The survival or extinction of Beiping, Tianjin, and Hebei-Chahar hangs by a thread. We should declare to the whole world that we can no longer make any concessions or compromises in the face of Japanese imperialist aggression! Just as Mr. Chiang Kai-shek has said: "If today’s Beiping were to become like yesterday’s Shenyang, then today’s Hebei-Chahar would also become like the four northeastern provinces of yesterday. If Beiping can become Shenyang, then why could Nanjing not also become Beiping?" Herein lies the crux of the issue! If today we abandon Beiping and Tianjin, abandon the vast expanse of Chinese territory east of the Lugou Bridge and the Yongding River, then Hebei-Chahar will inevitably be lost and will inevitably become a second set of four northeastern provinces. If Hebei-Chahar is lost, North China and the entire nation will soon be in peril, and national subjugation and racial extinction will follow one after another. Therefore, we must resolutely oppose the concessions and compromises made to the Japanese bandits by the Hebei-Chahar authorities under Song Zheyuan!

Compatriots across the nation! We must absolutely not show tacit acceptance or weakness in the face of Song Zheyuan’s capitulatory and humiliating "fait accompli" or the so-called "local settlement" between China and Japan. We demand that the Nanjing central government adopt all concrete measures to fulfill the hopes and demands of the people of the whole nation and to carry out the anti-Japanese policy proclaimed by Mr. Chiang Kai-shek on July 17. Today, mere vehement declarations, statements of non-recognition, and protests are no longer sufficient. The ferocious Japanese imperialist bandits do not fear these. Today, hoping for intervention by the signatories of the Nine-Power Treaty will also yield no results; the brutal and unreasonable Japanese imperialist bandits pay no heed to such things. Today, we need the most practical measures to guarantee the realization of the hopes and demands of the entire Chinese people and to guarantee the execution of the anti-Japanese policy proclaimed by Mr. Chiang Kai-shek. These measures should be:

(1) Immediately order the Hebei-Chahar authorities under Song Zheyuan to refuse to carry out the three conditions proposed by Japan, and lead the entire 29th Army in armed resistance. If Song Zheyuan refuses to carry out the central government’s orders, then immediately issue a clear order dismissing Song Zheyuan from his current post and appoint another high official to lead the heroic officers and soldiers of the 29th Army and all forces in North China to carry out armed resistance.

(2) Immediately dispatch large forces to reinforce the 29th Army, and mobilize the entire Chinese navy, army, and air force to carry out armed resistance. Immediately convene a national defense conference, centralize the military leadership for the war of resistance, establish unified command on all fronts, and adopt a policy of active resistance to counter the Japanese bandits’ offensive. Around the Japanese forces, launch extensive guerrilla warfare, and support the Northeast People’s Revolutionary Army and volunteer units to coordinate with the main anti-Japanese forces in combat.

(3) Immediately carry out the general mobilization of the entire Chinese people, lift the ban on political parties, lift restrictions on the patriotic movement, release political prisoners, implement democratic rights, meet the urgent needs of the people’s livelihood, and carry out large-scale mobilization, organization, and arming of the masses, establishing various types of people’s anti-Japanese united front organizations.

(4) Immediately implement comprehensive resistance against Japan, cease diplomatic negotiations with Japan, carry out armed anti-smuggling operations, boycott Japanese goods, confiscate all banks, mines, factories, and properties of Japanese imperialism in China, abolish all political and economic privileges of Japanese imperialism in China, close down all Japanese embassies, consulates, and special service agencies, arrest all Japanese spies and Chinese traitors, and disband all armed and unarmed organizations of the Japanese bandits and Chinese traitors in China’s interior.

(5) Immediately reform the political structure, democratize the central and local governments, absorb representatives from all parties, factions, and people’s organizations to participate in the National Assembly and the government, make the National Assembly truly a power organ representing the people’s will, make the National Government truly a national defense government for anti-Japanese national salvation, purge all pro-Japanese traitorous elements lurking within the government, thus uniting the government and the people as one to jointly resist the enemy.

(6) Immediately realize close cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and on the basis of this cooperation between the two parties, unite all anti-Japanese national salvation parties and groups, establish a consolidated anti-Japanese national united front, so as to realize the policy of genuine sincere unity and shared commitment to national salvation.

(7) Immediately implement various new policies concerning finance, economy, land, labor, culture, and education to strengthen national defense and improve the people’s livelihood.

(8) Immediately implement an active anti-Japanese foreign policy, support the international peace front, oppose the fascist aggression front, and conclude various agreements beneficial to anti-Japanese national salvation with Britain, the United States, France, the Soviet Union, and other countries.

Compatriots across the nation! As long as our government and people can resolutely implement these measures, we will have the strength to defeat the Japanese bandits, drive the Japanese bandits out of China, and recover all lost territories. Only the great and mighty strength of the Chinese nation can smash the offensive of Japanese imperialism and establish a new China with national independence, civil liberties, and the people’s well-being!

All sons and daughters of the Chinese nation! All compatriots unwilling to be slaves of a conquered nation! Now is the critical moment of national survival or extinction. Let everyone unite closely, mobilize urgently, and stake the very life of our nation to win our nation’s final victory!

Oppose all concessions and compromises to the Japanese bandits, resolutely fight the war of resistance to the end!

Only resolute armed resistance is the path to survival for the Chinese nation!

Smash the new offensive of Japanese imperialism, defend Beiping, Tianjin, and North China!

Down with Japanese imperialism!

Long live the liberation of the Chinese nation!

Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

July 23