Reply to Ambassador of the Republic of Egypt
(September 17, 1956)

Source: Kau & Leung, The Writings of Mao Zedong 1949-1976, Vol. II
Pages 131-131
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the society and polity, here reasserted, was the central theme of his speech on Aug. 30,
1956. This opening speech therefore should be read in conjunction with the Aug. 30 speech.
For the terms *‘democratic parties’ and ‘‘people’s organizations,’’ see text Sept. 21, 1949,
note 1, and text Oct. 1, 1949, vol. I, note 2, respectively. For the organizational structure of
united front work, see text Feb. 18, 1951, vol. I, note 13.

Reply to Ambassador of the Republic of Egypt
(September 17, 1956)

Source: RMRB (Sept. 18, 1956), 1. Other Chinese Text: XHBYK, 96 (Nov. 21,
1956), 38. Available English Translation: NCNA, Daily Bulletin, 1646 (Sept. 19,
1956), 23-24.

On September 17, 1956, Hassan Ragab became the ambassador of the Republic of Egypt to
the PRC.

Mr. Ambassador:

I am very happy to accept the letter of credence which appoints Your Excellency
as the first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Egypt
to the People’s Republic of China, and I am grateful for Your Excellency’s friendly
greetings to myself. I would like to take this opportunity to express to President
Nasser through Your Excellency the sincere respect of the Chinese people and
--- Notes

5. These terms echo what is known as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. See
text Jan. 28, 1955(2), vol. I, note 1.

6. Since its completion in 1869, the Suez Canal was controlled by the International
Suez Canal Company, which in turn was controlled by the British and French governments.
In 1936 Britain and the Egyptian government under King Farouk signed a treaty that
permitted the British government to station troops along the Canal Zone for twenty years.
On July 26, 1956, Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser, who became president of the Republic of Egypt
on June 23, declared the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company. On August 2, the
governments of Great Britain, France, and the United States issued a joint communiqué
declaring the “‘internationalization’’ of the Suez Canal. The Egyptian government rejected
this demand. Casting ahead to events that had not yet occurred at the time of this speech by
Mao, on October 29, 1956, the Israeli army invaded the Sinai Peninsula. On Oct. 31, British
and French troops invaded and occupied the Canal Zone. After some two months of
intermittent military exchanges, and facing strong resistance from the Egyptian army, the
British and French troops withdrew from the Canal Zone on December 22, under pressure
from the United States and the United Nations. In March 1957 the Israeli troops also
withdrew from the Sinai. The entire incident was known as the Suez Crisis.

7. See text June 30, 1953, vol. I, note 9 and text Aug. 12, 1953(1), vol. I, note 24.

8. See text Feb. 9, 1956, source note. This was the Congress at which Khrushchev made
a secret speech criticizing Stalin.


9, See text Sept. 21, 1949, vol. I, note 4.


10. For details of these participants, see news report, RMRB (Sept. 16, 1956), 1.

11. See text Sept. 21, 1949, vol. I, note 1; also see news report, RMRB (Sept. 16, 1956), 1.