Telegram of Congratulations from Mao Zedong et al. on the Thirteenth Anniversary of the Founding of the German Democratic Republic (October 6, 1962)

To Comrade Walter Ulbricht, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany and Chairman of the State Council of the German Democratic Republic; to Comrade Otto Grotewohl, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic; to Dr. Johannes Dieckmann, President of the People’s Chamber of the German Democratic Republic; and to Professor Dr. Erich Correns, Chairman of the National Council of the National Front of Democratic Germany:

On the occasion of the thirteenth anniversary of the founding of the German Democratic Republic, on behalf of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China, we extend our warmest congratulations to the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, the Government, and the people of the German Democratic Republic.

Under the leadership of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany and the Government of the German Democratic Republic, the fraternal people of the German Democratic Republic have achieved significant successes in socialist construction and have made unremitting efforts to oppose West German militarism fostered by U.S. imperialism and to safeguard world peace.
The Chinese people are deeply gratified by these achievements.

At present, U.S. imperialism is actively supporting West German militarism and is intensifying its aggressive provocations against the German Democratic Republic, thereby posing a grave threat to peace in Europe and throughout the world.
Such actions have not only met with strong opposition from the German people but have also drawn stern condemnation from the Chinese people and from peoples all over the globe.
We once again reaffirm that the Chinese people firmly support the just position and reasonable proposals put forward by the German Democratic Republic and the Soviet Union concerning the conclusion of a peace treaty with Germany and, on that basis, the normalization of the situation in West Berlin.
We are convinced that the just struggle of the people of the German Democratic Republic against U.S. imperialism and West German militarism, as well as their endeavor to achieve a peaceful settlement of the German question, will surely attain final victory.

In their common struggle against imperialism and in the cause of building socialism, the peoples of China and Germany have always supported and assisted one another.
The Chinese people will, without fail, continue, on the basis of the Moscow Declaration of 1954 and the Moscow Statement of 1957, to strengthen the friendly solidarity between the two peoples and, together with the people of the German Democratic Republic, to strive for the consolidation of the unity of the socialist camp, the maintenance of world peace, and the advancement of human progress.

May the German Democratic Republic flourish and prosper; may the fraternal friendship between the peoples of China and Germany endure forever!

Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China  Liu Shaoqi, President of the People’s Republic of China  Zhu De, 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 and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference  October [date], 1962  Printed according to the edition of the People’s Daily dated October 7, 1962.