Unite and Cooperate with All Countries Willing to Have Peace [1]
(July 7, 1954)
Comrade Zhou Enlai's report [2] is very good. We should agree with the policies he has spoken of, and approve the past activities of the delegation. The activities of the past two and a half months have been very good. Our several countries, the Soviet Union, China, and also Korea and Vietnam, are very well united, the policy is correct, and the activities have been successful. In Geneva, we seized upon the slogan of peace, that is, we want peace. But the Americans do not seize upon this thing; they just want to fight. In this way, they are very much in the wrong, without reason. Now there are many people who want peace. We must cooperate with all people who are willing to have peace, to isolate those bellicose elements, that is, to isolate the American authorities, mainly that faction within that is eager to start a war. The United States has seized upon a place like Indochina, such a war; on this point, many people in our country still do not see it very clearly. Why does a war in such a small place affect the whole world? It is because the United States wants to use this place to make an issue, to use this place to expand the war, to continue fighting. This issue has very large implications, affecting Southeast Asia, affecting Asia, Europe, America (for example, Canada), and Australia. Therefore, many people agree with peace. As for the specific steps, they are what Comrade Enlai spoke of, the things that were agreed upon with Comrade Ho Chi Minh and the others in the past to be done, and the things that were settled in the talks this time. In negotiations, what should be conceded must be conceded, and what should be insisted upon must be insisted upon. Based on the general policy, if these specific activities are carried out appropriately, peace can be achieved, and the goal of uniting with the majority and isolating the minority (that is, the Americans) can be reached. Therefore, we should approve these past activities. Now is the final stage of the conference. If we continue to implement this policy and press a bit harder on some specific issues, it is estimated that an agreement can be reached, and a new situation can be opened up.


The general international situation now is that the Americans are quite isolated. After this Southeast Asia issue—the Indochina issue—is resolved, it is estimated that their isolation will continue to develop. Now a large group including Britain, France, the countries of Southeast Asia, Canada, Mexico, and some South American countries, all dislike the United States. Therefore, this situation is very hopeful. Now, it is already impossible to shut the door tightly, and there is a very favorable situation that requires us to go out. For example, when Churchill negotiated with the United States in Washington, they issued a joint declaration [1], writing six points, and they could not but write that first and second point. These two points are about shaking hands with us. This is Eisenhower promising to shake hands. As to which countries and under what conditions to shake hands, they say there must be firm guarantees and good actions. We have the Five Principles [2], are they not very good guarantees? Is our participation in the Geneva Conference [1] not a very good action? Therefore, it is possible to further divide the relationships among the imperialist countries. There are also contradictions within the United States. As Comrade Enlai said, Eisenhower and Smith, as well as his Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of Defense, do not approve of fighting now; Dulles, Knowland, Nixon, Radford [2], these people, are a bit more adventurous. Therefore, it is not that there is nothing to be done with a country like the United States.


A major issue in the relationship between the United States and us now is the Taiwan issue. This issue is a long-term one. We must destroy the possibility of the United States signing a treaty [3] with Taiwan, and we must also think of some methods and carry out propaganda. We must organize some propaganda to curse the United States for what it is doing in Taiwan and Chiang Kai-shek for continuing to sell out the country. In addition, there must be an appropriate expression in diplomacy, such as contact on the issue of overseas nationals, with the aim of forcing the United States not to sign a treaty with Taiwan. I think that if the United States signs a treaty with Taiwan, Britain will also be afraid and will oppose it, and France may also oppose it. It is of no benefit to them either; it would just become a very long-term stalemate.


To ease international tensions, countries with different systems can coexist peacefully. This is a slogan put forward by the Soviet Union, and it is also our slogan. Now it has become the words in the mouths of people like Eden [1], the words in the mouths of people like Nehru [2]; they also talk about easing international tensions. This is a very big change. It is estimated that this kind of change will be promoted for another period of time, as long as this Southeast Asia issue is settled peacefully. Therefore, the entire situation should be said to be much better than in the past. Consequently, we must carry out work with many countries, such as countries like Britain, France, and Canada, and countries like India and Burma, wherever possible. Even with a country like Thailand, which is near our country and is also afraid of us, work must be carried out. At the same time, we must cause the United States to be divided, to be isolated. After being isolated, it will inevitably be divided. In the current fragmented situation in the world, a monolithic bloc is impossible. It is true that they are anti-Soviet, anti-communist, anti-China, anti-people's democracies, and against our camp; however, their capitalist world is very disunited, fragmented. The main and greatest objective of the United States now is still to bring this intermediate zone into line, that is, the places from Japan to Britain, bringing these countries into line until they are crying out. On this point, many democratic personages in our country do not understand; they just believe that propaganda, always saying, you see, they are so well united. Therefore, tomorrow I will speak on this issue, to explain that in reality it is not so. The United States now often uses the banner of opposing communism to occupy the places of its friends. Look at our East: it has occupied Japan, occupied South Korea, occupied Taiwan, occupied the Philippines, Thailand has become its, Pakistan has become its, and also Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, so it has put Britain in an impossible position. What kind of country is Japan? In the past, there was the Anglo-Japanese Alliance; Japan was Britain's ally. The country of China was in the past a semi-colony of countries led by Britain, and was later snatched away by the United States. Our victory was not won from Britain but from the United States. Today China is victorious. Britain is, on the one hand, fearful, that is, afraid of communism; on the other hand, it is joyful, that is, we have driven away the United States, and Britain can slip in to do business, taking advantage of the time when we are still at odds with the United States to slip in and do business. China is a very large place where business can be done. So the situation is very good.


In short, internationally, we will just implement this policy. As long as we can unite with them on the issue of peace, we will establish relations with them, to defend our country, to defend socialism, and to strive for the construction of a great socialist country.


[1] This was Mao Zedong's speech at an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
[2] Refers to the report made by Zhou Enlai at the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on attending the Geneva Conference, visiting India and Burma, and holding Sino-Vietnamese talks. Zhou Enlai said that the policy we adopted at the Geneva Conference was to unite with France, Britain, Southeast Asian countries, and the three countries of Indochina, that is, to unite all international forces that can be united to isolate the United States, and to limit and break the United States' plan to expand world hegemony. The key issue among these was to bring about peace in Indochina.


[1] Refers to the joint declaration issued by British Prime Minister Churchill and U.S. President Eisenhower in Washington on June 29, 1954. The declaration had six points. The first point said: "We will continue to work together in a spirit of close and cordial friendship to seek world peace on the basis of the principles of the Atlantic Charter, which we have reaffirmed." The second point said: "We, together and individually, continue to hold out the hand of friendship to any and all nations which by solemn pledge and confirming deeds show themselves desirous of participating in a just and fair peace."
[2] Refers to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which include mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. From December 1953 to April 1954, a delegation of the Chinese government held negotiations in Beijing with a delegation of the Indian government regarding the relations between the two countries in the Tibet region of China. These five principles were proposed by Premier Zhou Enlai in his conversation with the Indian delegation at the beginning of the negotiations and were later formally written into the preamble of the "Agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of India on Trade and Intercourse between Tibet Region of China and India" reached by the two sides.


[1] The Geneva Conference refers to the international conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, from April 26 to July 21, 1954, to discuss the peaceful settlement of the Korean question and the restoration of peace in Indochina. China, the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain, and France participated in the discussions on both agenda items. The northern and southern sides of Korea and 12 other countries that had invaded North Korea, besides the U.S., Britain, and France, participated in the discussion of the Korean question. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and the South Vietnamese regime participated in the discussion of the Indochina question. No agreement was reached on the Korean question; on the restoration of peace in Indochina, agreements on the cessation of hostilities in the three countries of Indochina and the "Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference" (collectively known as the Geneva Accords) were reached respectively, realizing a ceasefire in Indochina.


[2] Dulles (1888-1959) was then U.S. Secretary of State. Knowland (1908-1974) was then a U.S. Senator and the Republican leader in the Senate. Nixon (1913-1994) was then Vice President of the United States. Radford (1896-1973) was then Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.


[3] On December 2, 1954, the U.S. government, disregarding the opposition of the Chinese government and people, signed the "Mutual Defense Treaty" with the Taiwan authorities. The treaty stipulated that: the United States would help the Taiwan authorities maintain and develop their armed forces; in the event of an "armed attack" on Taiwan, "the United States will take action" to deal with the "common danger"; the United States had the right to deploy land, sea, and air forces in and around Taiwan and the Pescadores, and this could be extended to "other territories" as decided by mutual agreement. The treaty came into effect on March 3, 1955. On December 15, 1978, the U.S. government, in its statement on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States of America and the People's Republic of China, announced that the U.S.-Taiwan "Mutual Defense Treaty" would be terminated. The treaty was formally abrogated on January 1, 1980.
[1] Eden (1897-1977) was then British Foreign Secretary.
[2] Nehru (1889-1964) was then Prime Minister of India.