The Nanjing Side Must State Its Position on the Peace Agreement Before the 20th
(April 17, 1949)
[Xinhua News Agency, Beiping, April 17] Today is the seventeenth day of the peace negotiations. From April 1 to 12, the delegation of the Chinese Communist Party and the delegation of Nanjing, through frequent contacts and exchanges of views, drafted a proposed domestic peace agreement. On the 13th, representatives of both sides held a formal meeting at the Imperial Palace, where the CCP delegation explained the CCP’s position and the reasoning behind the draft agreement, and the Nanjing delegation expressed its own position and opinions on the draft agreement. On the 15th, the two sides held a second formal meeting, at which the CCP delegation delivered the final revised draft to the Nanjing delegation. The full text of the agreement consists of eight articles and twenty-four clauses, which not only incorporated the views of the Nanjing delegation but also actively drew on opinions provided by leaders of various democratic parties. At the meeting between the two sides on the 15th, the CCP delegation announced: the negotiations are limited to April 20 as the deadline; whether the Nanjing representatives are willing to sign the agreement must be indicated before the 20th, and April 20 is the date for signing. At 11 a.m. on the 16th, the Nanjing delegation dispatched Representative Huang Shaohong and Adviser Qu Wu to fly to Nanjing to seek instructions from the Nanjing government, and they are now awaiting Nanjing’s reply.

[1] This is a news release written by Mao Zedong for the Xinhua News Agency.