A Passage on Naval Construction (November 1952) In order to eradicate the harassment by maritime bandits and ensure the safety of sea lanes; in order to build up our strength for the appropriate moment to recover Taiwan and ultimately reunify the entire country; and in order to prepare to repel imperialist aggression against our nation launched from the sea, our country must, over a prolonged period and in accordance with the progress of industrial development and the state of its finances, systematically and step by step construct a powerful navy. Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript.