Revisions to the Draft Directive on Safeguarding Maritime Sovereignty and Escort Procedures [1]
(July 23, 1954)
When our naval and air forces are conducting patrols in international waters or providing direct escort, they shall not engage any foreign aircraft or warships. Only when it has been clearly and conclusively determined that aircraft or warships belonging to the Kuomintang bandit forces are committing hostile acts—such as attacks or piracy—against our escorted targets (merchant vessels or oil tankers), may they be resolutely engaged in order to achieve the objective of the escort mission. Apart from escort operations, any aircraft or warships of the Kuomintang bandit forces that have been positively identified shall likewise be resolutely engaged.
Whenever aircraft or warships of the Kuomintang bandit forces are shot down and fall into the sea, hostilities must be immediately ceased. The nearest of our ships shall assume responsibility for rescuing survivors and taking prisoners.
At present, our escort missions are confined solely to preventing looting by Kuomintang bandit forces; with respect to all other [l]
This section, items one through three, consists of Chairman Mao Zedong’s revisions to the draft directive issued by the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People’s Government concerning the safeguarding of territorial sea sovereignty and escort procedures. The text typeset in Song typeface represents additions and amendments made by Mao Zedong.

Since foreign navies and air forces do not engage in acts of piracy during peacetime, there is no question of self-defense, and under no circumstances should offensive action be taken against them. Moreover, given the high speeds involved and the fact that Chiang Kai-shek’s naval and air forces were all supplied by the United States, there is a significant risk of misidentification and unintended strikes. Therefore, the guiding principle of our escort operations is to prioritize the safety of the escorted target above all else. If suspicious Kuomintang naval or air units are observed but have not initiated an attack, and if their national insignia cannot be clearly identified, leaving us uncertain, no action should be taken. Similarly, if the aircraft in question is a civilian transport rather than a military one, even if it belongs to the Kuomintang, it should not be targeted.
As our escort missions require our naval and air forces to operate in international waters, officers, pilots, and vessel commanders at all levels must familiarize themselves with the rules governing the high seas, carefully study this directive, so as to successfully complete escort tasks and set an exemplary standard for compliance with those rules. It is imperative that you strictly organize and implement these instructions, conduct repeated rounds of education and inspection, and report back on the situation. Anyone found in violation of these regulations shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary measures.