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

(February 28, 1940)

The policy for the Party in Shanghai is, first, rural work, and to establish political power and armed forces there—we must organize an army of 100,000; second, urban work in Shanghai. Urban work must be conducted with extreme caution, while rural work should be carried out boldly and on a large scale. A Shanghai Municipal Committee and a Work Committee for the Outer Counties should be organized. Comrade Liu Changsheng, Deputy Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee, should be asked to report on the work once to the Political Bureau.

[1] This is part of Mao Zedong’s speech at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

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

(February 1940)

In the past, the People’s Political Council was merely a courtesy; its resolutions could not be implemented, yet the anti-communist resolutions were carried out. If we are not to attend, I advocate that not a single one of us should go, and that Comrade Dong Lao should also attend only once, first sending in all our various proposals. If we are not afraid of a rupture, there will be no rupture; if a rupture is to come, it will come even if we are afraid of it. This is a question of struggle between two great forces, a question of social material conditions. We should put forward the following proposals at the People’s Political Council: (1) opposing Wang Jingwei, (2) constitutional government, (3) unity, (4) the implementation of the resolutions of the People’s Political Council, and so on.

II

The current situation in Shanxi is a struggle among three major forces: the Eighth Route Army, Yan Xishan, and the Central Army. Our policy is that it is best to preserve our existing strength and best to maintain a situation of tripartite balance. The old and new armies can no longer fight each other. In the future, there will be either a stalemate or peace. I believe the stalemate is a transitional stage.

[1] Part I of this text is part of Mao Zedong’s speech at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the question of whether to attend the forthcoming First Session of the Fifth People’s Political Council; Part II is part of Mao Zedong’s speech at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Shanxi question. The First Session of the Fifth People’s Political Council was held in Chongqing from April 1 to 10, 1940, and was attended by Communist Party Political Council member Dong Biwu.