Telegram on the Thirteenth Anniversary of Liberation
(August 14, 1958)

To Comrade Kim Il-sung, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Premier of the Cabinet of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,

And to Comrade Choe Yong-geon, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea:

On the occasion of the thirteenth anniversary of Korea’s liberation, on behalf of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese people, we extend our warmest congratulations to the Government and the people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Under the leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Korean people have been engaged in selfless labor to build their homeland, mounting the “Thousand-League Horse” and making rapid strides along the glorious socialist path. The Chinese people are filled with boundless joy and inspiration by the great achievements attained by our fraternal Korean comrades.

The resolute struggle waged by the Korean government and people for a peaceful settlement of the Korean question and for the maintenance of peace in the Far East and throughout the world has won widespread praise and sympathy from peoples of all nations. The persistent obstruction by the United States of the peaceful reunification of Korea, coupled with its continued escalation of tensions in the Far East, has drawn vigorous opposition from peace-loving peoples worldwide. Recently, the principal members of the coalition that invaded Korea—the United States and Great Britain—have once again launched armed aggression against the Arab peoples. It may be confidently asserted that, under the resolute struggle of peace-loving nations and peoples across the globe, the imperialist aggressors will, like their fate in Korea, suffer a shameful defeat.

In recent years, the unbreakable fraternal friendship forged between the peoples of China and Korea in their common struggle against a shared enemy has further deepened. The close cooperation between the two peoples plays an enormous role in consolidating the solidarity of the powerful socialist camp led by the Soviet Union.

We wish the Korean people ever greater successes in their endeavors to achieve the peaceful reunification of their motherland and to build socialism.

We also hope that the friendship and cooperation between the peoples of China and Korea will continue to develop and strengthen.

Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President of the People’s Republic of China

Liu Shaoqi, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China

Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China

Beijing, August 14, 1958