Dimitrov and the Chinese People [I]
(April 1950)

[I] This article was written by Mao Zedong at the request of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party for the book *Georgi Dimitrov, Outstanding Activist of the International Workers' Movement*.

The Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party has decided to publish a special collection on the life and activities of Comrade Dimitrov. I wish to take this opportunity to briefly outline the relationship between Comrade Dimitrov and the Chinese people.

Throughout his tenure as a leader of the Communist International, Comrade Dimitrov showed great concern for the Chinese revolution. When he was elected General Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Communist International at its Seventh Congress in 1935, he declared on behalf of the world proletariat to the Chinese people: "We firmly support your heroic struggle for national liberation and are determined to help you put an end to the oppression of all imperialist brigands and their Chinese lackeys and help you achieve complete independence."

In November 1937, September 1938, and May 1939, the Communist International repeatedly called on the working class of the whole world to assist the Chinese people's War of Resistance Against Japan in every way. Responding to the calls of the Communist International, the working class of various countries extended deep sympathy and valuable assistance to the Chinese people and the Chinese army resisting the Japanese invaders.

Comrade Dimitrov began paying attention to the question of establishing an anti-Japanese united front in China very early on. In an article written in July 1936 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Comrade Dimitrov held that the policy of the Communist Party of China on establishing a national united front, and the necessity of struggling against both "Left" sectarianism and Right opportunism in the process of building this national united front, were of particularly great significance. These conclusions drawn by Comrade Dimitrov were of great help to the Chinese Communists in correctly implementing the Anti-Japanese National United Front during that period.

Comrade Dimitrov's revolutionary writings have been widely valued in China. His book *Fascism Is War* has been distributed extensively in our country. In June 1939, the Publishing House of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China published a *Collected Works of Dimitrov*, which included many important articles by Comrade Dimitrov on the international anti-fascist united front.

During the rectification movement carried out by the Communist Party of China in 1942, the Central Committee called on all Party members to study the concluding remarks of Comrade Dimitrov's report to the Seventh Congress of the Communist International, in which he discussed questions of cadre policy and the necessity for propaganda work to be simple and easy to understand. All Party members paid the closest attention to these two points in Comrade Dimitrov's report.

Comrade Dimitrov has left us forever. The Chinese revolution, which he supported with such enthusiasm, has now won victory. The People's Republic of Bulgaria, from which he took his final leave, has strode proudly onto the road of socialism and established firm friendship with the People's Republic of China. All these victories are the greatest solace to the spirit of Comrade Dimitrov in heaven.

Eternal glory to Comrade Dimitrov!