Revision to the Draft Reply to Nehru
(November 7, 1959)

Since the boundary between China and India has never been formally delimited and is extremely long, and is far or relatively far from the political centers of both countries, if the two governments do not devise a very proper solution, I fear that border conflicts which neither side wishes to see may still occur in the future. And as long as such conflicts occur, even very minor ones, they will be exploited by those hostile to the friendship between our two countries to achieve their ulterior purposes.

This is a passage added by Mao Zedong to Zhou Enlai’s draft letter of November 7, 1959, replying to Indian Prime Minister Nehru on the Sino-Indian boundary question. In addition, Mao Zedong made some other minor textual revisions to the letter.

November 10, 1959
*Renmin Ribao* published this letter by Zhou Enlai.