Telegram to the Central Committee on Preparations for a Trade Treaty with the Soviet Union (December 22, 1949)  To the Central Committee:   (1) According to Jiaxiang [1], Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany all wish to engage in trade with us.
It appears that, in addition to the Soviet Union, these two countries are also about to establish commercial and trade relations with China.
Moreover, Britain, Japan, the United States, India, and other nations either already have business ties with China or are on the verge of doing so.
Therefore, as you prepare the trade treaty with the Soviet Union, you should adopt a holistic, overall perspective.
While the Soviet Union naturally remains our top priority, you should at the same time make preparations for conducting trade with Poland, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Britain, Japan, the United States, and other countries, and arrive at a rough estimate of the scope and volume of such trade.   (2) The telegram of the 21st has been received.
I have arranged with Stalin to hold talks on either the 23rd or the 24th.
Following these talks, we will be able to finalize our policy and telegraph it to you.
Mao Zedong  3:00 A.M., December 22  Printed from the manuscript.
Notes  [1] Jiaxiang refers to Wang Jiaxiang, who at that time served as China’s Ambassador to the Soviet Union.