Regarding the Issue of Concluding Foreign
Commercial Agreements on Borrowing and
Repayment
(May 28, 1948)
To Lin [Biao], Luo [Ronghuan], and Liu [Yalou],1 and to the Northeast Bureau:
I received your May 26 telegram.2
	 1.	 From now on, you can conclude agreements on borrowing and repaying
whenever possible. However, you must report detailed information to the
Central Committee beforehand for examination and approval, and you must
report the outcome and the terms of repayment to the Central Committee
afterward for examination and verification.
	 2.	 Failure to obtain approval beforehand or to report the outcome and terms of
repayment afterward is not permitted.
	 3.	 In addition to a full armament statement that Lin [Biao], Luo [Ronghuan],
and Liu [Yalou] will report promptly to the Central Committee, we expect
the Northeast Bureau to make a supplementary report to the Central
Committee on the detailed content and management and repayment terms of
all past commercial agreements. You will also have to explain to the Central
Committee your reasons for previously adopting the attitude of not asking
for instructions beforehand and not reporting afterward on such important
diplomatic actions.
	 4.	 For any requests regarding matters other than commercial agreements on
borrowing and repayment, you must abide by the principle of self-reliance
and not depend on foreign aid. Do not make rash requests; do so only when
absolutely necessary.
Mao Zedong
Our source for this text is Mao Zedong wenji, Vol. 5, pp. 99–100, where it is reproduced
from Mao’s handwritten manuscript.

--- Notes

1.  Lin Biao was the commander and political commissar, Luo Ronghuan was deputy
political commissar, and Liu Yalou was chief-of-staff of the Northeast Field Army.

2.  The telegram from Lin Biao et al. stated that they would immediately examine and
report a full list of the goods received from the Soviet Union in the past. It also stated that they
had asked the Soviet Union to help them repair equipment on damaged railroads two months
earlier, and they had reached a verbal agreement to repay the balance over several years.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719436-121