Talk with Gunther Stein[1]

(July 18, 1944)

We critically accept the long-standing traditions of China, inheriting those good traditions and discarding those bad ones. We adopt the same attitude toward things coming from abroad. We have accepted such things as Darwinism, the democratic politics established by Washington and Lincoln, 18th-century French philosophy, Feuerbach's materialism, German Marxism, and Russian Leninism. We accept everything from abroad that is beneficial and useful to China, and we discard what is bad, such as fascism. Before July 1943, we refrained from criticizing the Kuomintang for a long period, because we hoped that relations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party would improve. However, the July Incident occurred, in which the Kuomintang made military threats, and we carried out very extensive criticism in July, August, and September. In September 1943, the Kuomintang proposed at its 11th Plenary Session that the differences with the Communist Party should be resolved through political means, and from then until May this year, we did not engage in criticism. The recent criticisms have been raised due to the following reasons: First, the Kuomintang army has not fought well and has failed to withstand the Japanese army's offensives. Second, the criticisms from Washington and London are much sharper and more intense than ours, and they point out the danger of non-resistance in China. In view of the gravity of the national situation, we have raised criticisms. To change the situation, the Kuomintang must change its fundamental policies; it must adopt policies of uniting with the people in the political and economic fields. Only in this way can the military situation be improved. I sincerely hope that you and other foreign friends who volunteer to aid the Chinese people will help the Kuomintang recognize the new situation. All our hopes are for unity and democracy.