Comments on Zhao Erlu’s Proposal to Strengthen the Economic Collaboration Zones Organizationally (May 25, 1958) Comrade Xiaoping: Please have this document distributed to all members of the Political Bureau, secretaries of the Secretariat, and secretaries of the party committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions.
Mao Zedong May 25 Comrade Zhao Erlu has proposed, with regard to regional collaboration, the establishment of six central bureaus and six regional economic planning commissions.
Printed from the manuscript.
Notes [1] Zhao Erlu was then Minister of the First Ministry of Machine-Building Industry. [2] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at that time served as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. [3] This refers to Zhao Erlu’s letter dated May 17, 1958, addressed to Mao Zedong, proposing organizational measures to strengthen the various economic collaboration zones.
The letter states: How to reinforce the role of the economic collaboration zones from an organizational standpoint is a pressing issue that urgently needs to be resolved.
Since the implementation of the policy of simultaneously developing both central and local industries, together with the new system of joint central–local economic management, the enthusiasm of local authorities and the general public for industrial development has been greatly stimulated.
However, it remains challenging to ensure that the industrial development of each province and municipality better aligns with the overall national economic plan, thereby avoiding and reducing blind expansion, and more effectively meeting the overarching requirements of doing things quickly, well, and economically.
Relying solely on provincial governments or central ministries makes it difficult to handle these matters adequately, and…

At present, it is also rather difficult for the collaborative meetings of the economic collaboration zones to assume this responsibility.
Therefore, I have an idea: might it be possible to establish Party central bureaus, central sub-bureaus, or some other organizational form in each zone, so as to unify and intensify economic leadership over the zones, comprehensively plan their long-term development, and effectively guide major policies and production organization, while promoting balanced, comprehensive inter-regional cooperation?
There would be no need to set up corresponding administrative organs within the government structure; instead, a strong regional economic planning commission could serve as the executive body of the central bureau.
Whether viewed from the current needs of our work or from the perspective of future trends, establishing such an institution appears necessary.
As the Chairman has urged everyone to dare to think and speak freely, I am boldly presenting to him here the views that have frequently occurred to me lately but which I have not yet fully formulated, for his consideration.

Comments on Liu Shaoqi’s Report Concerning Improvements to the Labor Wage and Social Security Welfare Systems, as well as the Implementation of Two Types of Educational Systems (May 1958) Returned to Comrade Shaoqi for handling. —This document [1] has been reviewed, and I concur with your views.
Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript.
Notes [1] Refers to Liu Shaoqi’s report dated May 25, 1958, addressed to Mao Zedong and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau.
The report states that, regarding improvements to China’s labor wage and social security welfare systems, the Central Committee has decided to continue applying the previous methods in industrial enterprises below the county level, while provinces and autonomous regions are to formulate new measures separately.
As for enterprises above the county level, I believe that the existing methods should be maintained temporarily for current enterprises and workers, without making substantial changes; however, new enterprises and newly hired workers may be subject to different, newly devised measures.
Furthermore, I have discussed with Enlai, Dingyi, and comrades from certain provincial and municipal party committees two related issues concerning education and labor: first, whether, alongside the existing school education system and the labor regimes in industrial and mining enterprises as well as government institutions, a parallel system of semi-work–semi-study schooling and semi-work–semi-study employment in industry and government could also be introduced; and second, in addition to organizing urban workers and agricultural cooperatives to participate in production campaigns, efforts should be made to involve workers’ family members and women in rural areas, along with other individuals who are only partially able to work.
These two approaches are already being piloted in selected units.