Speech at the Meeting of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee [1]
(February 8, 1939)
The Kuomintang’s friction with us aims to eliminate the strength we have already built up. At present, many Party members hold a vague understanding of the differences between our Party and the Kuomintang, failing to recognize that only by strengthening our own forces can we consolidate the united front. It is impossible for the Kuomintang to make progress without struggle. Today, in educating Party members, we must emphasize that struggle is indispensable—teaching them how to unite with allies and, at the same time, how to struggle against those very allies.

[1] This is part of Mao Zedong’s speech delivered at a meeting of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee after hearing Wang Jiaxiang’s report on friction issues in North and Central China.