Reply to Deng Liqun and Others
(September 10, 1949)

If the Yili authorities seek our opinion on the issues raised by the Dihua authorities, you may state: (1) All parties may put forward proposals for the resolution of the Xinjiang question, but the final decision must rest with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Beiping; (2) The venue for negotiations shall be Lanzhou, and the responsible representative of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China shall be General Peng Dehuai; (3) If the Dihua authorities are willing to send representatives to Lanzhou for negotiations, we express our welcome.

This is the main content of the telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in reply to Deng Liqun in Yili, Xinjiang, with copies to Peng Dehuai and Zhang Zongxun, concerning the handling of peace negotiations with the Xinjiang authorities.