The world is not peaceful now. It is one thing for you to love independence, and it is another
thing for others to always interfere with you. I told you last time that there are a few
countries in the world that like to interfere with the independence of other countries. You
say that Hitler is gone, Japanese imperialism has been defeated, France is independent, and
China has been liberated. But the world is still not peaceful now! Of course, no one is
invading France now; except for Taiwan, no one has invaded China. But I want to tell you
that we have to prepare for war, not to fight it ourselves, but to destroy it when other
countries invade us. It is not like decades ago, when anyone could shit and piss on China.
I advise you to prepare for civil defense in addition to the Maginot Line (2) and the atomic
bomb. Do you know how the world changes? We are not the chiefs of staff of those big
countries. You are also bullied by other countries.
The current situation in Europe makes it difficult for you and even Britain to start a war. It is
hard to say about the so-called allies now. They can talk to each other on some issues, but
not on others. It is easier for us to talk to each other, but it is more difficult to talk to the
United States and the Soviet Union. You, France, have not occupied any part of China, and
we, China, have not occupied the French island of Corsica.
The affairs of the world must be discussed. Domestic affairs should be resolved by the
people of the country themselves, and international affairs should be resolved by everyone
through discussion, and cannot be decided by two major powers.

[1] This is part of a conversation between Mao Zedong and the French government
delegation.
[2] The Maginot Line was a defensive position system built by France on its northeastern
border in the 1930s to guard against German attack. It was named after its main designer,
Maginot, the then Minister of War. In May 1940, the German army bypassed this line of
defense from Belgium and invaded France, rendering the line ineffective.