NEW INTERNATIONAL SITUATION AND WAR OF RESISTANCE IN CHINA
7 September 1939
[Text] Ever since Fascist Germany started its military action against
Poland, Europe has been engulfed in the flames of a serious imperialist
war. According to cable information yesterday, England and France have
launched their offensive against Germany. The British Air Force bombed
the German fleet in Wilhelmshaven the day before yesterday, and the
French Army began to move toward the German border to launch a surprise
attack at a certain point of the German defense line, while other nations
are either preparing to enter the war or have temporarily declared
neutrality. All such facts indicate that the scope of the second
imperialist war, which started long ago, has further expanded. The
major imperialist nations in Europe, such as Germany, England, and
France, have been engulfed in the vortex of war, and other imperialists,
such as Italy, are poised for action. Meanwhile, the socialist Soviet
Union remains steady as a rock and adheres to its consistent policy of
peace. All these facts indicate that the essence of the limited imperialist war is being replaced by a general war at flying speed.

The new imperialist war has widened because the imperialist countries
have to resort to war to solve their conflicts; Fascist Germany has to
fight its war of aggression at all costs, and England and France, adopting
the compromise policy of nonintervention, refuse to conclude a mutual aid
pact with the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, though it was the first to be
invaded by Germany, and though its people are now participating in the
resistance against Fascist aggression, Poland, at the critical moment of
its national destiny, has no independent standpoint of principle and
refuses the aid of the socialist Soviet Union, but permits the manipulation of the reactionary bourgeoisie of England and France. Thus, countries like Poland have become the bone of contention between the two
great imperialist groups. As a result, though the people of Poland are
filled with righteous national anger, and the people of England and
France are indignant over fascism, from the point of view that "any war
is the effort of a certain class to continue its policy 'by another
means," and from the point of view of the narrow bourgeois interest

represented by both sides, the nature of the war this time is basically
an imperialist war.

The Chinese people have been waging a war of resistance against the
Japanese Fascist warlords for 2 years. China's resistance war is for
the liberation of the nation and for world peace and justice. Therefore,
our standpoint is easily understood. We sympathize with the revolutionary
movement of the laboring people of any nation against fascism and imperialist war, but we oppose the aggressive war of the reactionary bourgeoisie
of any nation to sacrifice the interests of the laboring people and
redivide the world. Meanwhile, we are fighting a resistance war, and our
diplomatic line is also easily understood. "To befriend all those who
help us and to resist all those who help the enemy constitute an immutable
principle." It was thus with us in the past, and it is thus with us now.

However, the Chinese people must understand that, when fighting China's
resistance war, we must not ignore the changes in the world or the
European war now in progress. When judged according to the current situation, the new imperialist war may influence China's resistance war in
the following two ways:

First, the signing of the nonaggression pact between the Soviet Union and
Germany ended the "anticommunist agreement" and constitutes a blow to
Japanese imperialism, isolating it even further. The outbreak of the
war between Germany and Poland has engulfed England and France, and Japan
can no longer receive the help from those nations which it did in the
past. Thus, it has been a blow to Japan. These developments are favorable to China's resistance war.

Next, the policy of Japanese imperialism to destroy China is consistent
and unchangeable. Past experience shows that Japanese imperialism has
the habit of utilizing the tense situation in Europe, especially war in
Europe, to destroy China. During the first imperialist war between 1914
and 1918, Japanese imperialism proposed the 21 articles to destroy China.
Since the 18 September incident, every time there was trouble in Europe
it was an occasion for Japanese imperialism to attack China. Now, with
the outbreak of the European war, the enemy chieftain, Abe, declared that
"Japan must concentrate its entire energy to resolve the 'China incident,'" thus indicating that Japan must utilize the situation of the
European war and concentrate its entire energy against China. Thus, the
danger of intensified all-out attacks on China by the Japanese Fascist
warlords has been created. Meanwhile, being now tied up in the European
war, England, which has interests in the Far East, may make certain
compromises with Japan by sacrificing the interests of the Chinese people
in order to salvage its interests in China and the South Seas. Thus, the
grave danger of a possible Far Eastern Munich has been created.

Nevertheless, the most crucial is the issue of China itself. As long as
we can adhere consistently to the national policy of resisting to the

bitter end, of internal unity, especially the policy of Kuomintang-
Communist cooperation, and to the policy of striving for national
progress, then, under a favorable international situation, we may be
able to shorten the duration, reduce the sacrifice, and win victory in
our resistance war. Even under worse conditions, we can similarly and
definitely surmount the temporary difficulties and win victory.

Therefore, the Chinese people must pay close attention to the situation
of the European war, to the development of each and every stage. Mean-while, analyzing the current situation of the resistance war from a firm
and correct standpoint, the Chinese people can see clearly that the current domestic political situation makes it impossible for us to handle
the new environment successfully. In other words, the danger of compromise and capitulation still exists, while anticommunism is an indication
of the concrete preparation for such compromise and capitulation. At the
same time, the lack of progress and the regression in politics are the
obstacles to national unity, the continuous creation of new troops with
fighting strength and the growth of new and vigorous strengths of the
people. Therefore, under the new international situation, "the people
of the whole country must, under the slogans of supporting Chairman
Chiang, supporting the National Government, persevering in the
resistance war, opposing capitulation, adhering to unity, resisting
differentiation, adhering to progress, and opposing regression, mobilize
all strength and prepare for a counteroffensive."

o Editorial, Chungking HSIN-HUA JIH-PAO (New China Daily News),
7 September 1939