India Is Not China'S Enemy, But China'S Friend

Date: 1959-05-13
Source: en:FLP-Diplomacy
INDIA IS NOT CHINA'S ENEMY,
BUT CHINA'S FRIEND*
{May 13, 1959)
Generally speaking, India is a friendly country toward China and has been
so for over 1,000 years. We believe it will still be like this for the next 1,000
or 10,000 years. The enemy of the Chinese people is in the east, where the
U.S. imperialists have lots of military bases in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and
the Philippines, all directed against China. China's attention and policy of
struggle are focused on the East, on the western Pacific areas, and on the
ferocious and aggressive U.S. imperialists, not on India, not on the countries
of Southeast Asia or South Asia. Although the Philippines, Thailand, and
Pakistan joined the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization,” aimed against
China, we do not regard these three countries as our principal enemies. Our
principal enemy is U.S. imperialism. India did not join the Southeast Asia
Treaty Organization. India is not our enemy, but our friend. China will not
be so stupid as to make an enemy of the U.S. in the east and an enemy of
India in the west. The suppression of the rebellion^'" in Tibet and the
democratic reform there will not pose the slightest threat to India. There is a
Chinese saying, "As distance tests a horse's strength, so time reveals a person's
heart." You will be able to judge whether the relationship between China's
Tibet and India is friendly or hostile for the next three, five, ten,^® and even
100 years. We cannot have two focal points. We cannot take a friend as our
enemy. This is our basic policy. The quarrels between our two countries in
recent years, especially for the last three months, are merely an episode in the
course of the thousands of years of friendship and should not be of concern
to the peoples and government authorities of our two countries. The remarks
we made in previous paragraphs of this speech^^'—the principled stands and
boundary lines between right and wrong—should be discussed. Otherwise, the
* This is a paragraph added by Mao Zedong to the reply of the Chinese Foreign Affairs
Ministry to Dutt, a foreign affairs secretary of the Indian Foreign Affairs Ministry
concerning his April 26, 1959 talk.
present differences between our two countries cannot be solved. But the scope
our remarks refer to is only temporary and specific; namely, it is a momentary
difference between our two countries, concerning Tibet alone. What do you
think, Indian friends? Do you agree with our opinion? Regarding the view that
China can focus its attention only to the east and cannot, nor is it necessary
to, focus its attention to the southwest, China's leader, Chairman Mao
Zedong, on several occasions spoke with India's former ambassador to China,
Mr. Nehru, and Ambassador Nehru could well understand and appreciate
China's view on this matter. I have no idea if the former Indian ambassador
has conveyed these words to the Indian authorities. Friends, China does not
assume that you can have two battlefronts either; isn't that so? If so, that is
our meeting point. Please think about it. Please allow me to take this
opportunity to extend my regards to the Indian leader, Mr. Nehru.^"'
(From the original manuscript)