(January 13, 1973)





　　[Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (1930–1997), President of Zaire and Chairman of the Popular Revolutionary Movement. He was overthrown on May 29, 1997. During his 32-year rule, he amassed a personal fortune of US$4 billion through plunder and embezzlement. He privately owned vast mineral resources, including copper, diamond, and other mines, directly selling state-owned minerals as his primary means of enrichment. A typical example of personal autocracy and personality cult in Black Africa, he was one of the three major “man-eating tyrants” of modern Africa.]






　　Chairman Mao: Well, how are you finding it living in Beijing?

　　Mobutu: Very good. The welcome we’ve received here has been extremely friendly and warm.

　　Chairman Mao: Lumumba—he never came.

　　Mobutu: That’s right. He didn’t have time to come.

　　Chairman Mao: We supported him. We also supported others—Kisangani, Mulere—but not you! (laughter)

　　Mobutu: I know. There were still some others with them as well.

　　Chairman Mao: And then there were those engaging in guerrilla warfare, whom we supplied with money and weapons. But they just couldn’t fight; they couldn’t beat you. What could I do about that?

　　Mobutu: Because they were up against someone as resolute as Mobutu.

　　Chairman Mao: It was your hat (referring to Mobutu’s leopard-skin cap) that scared them off! (laughter)

　　Mobutu: No, it was my authority.

　　Chairman Mao: Those people don’t strike me as very capable. Many of them are abroad, never return home, and thus lack a proper understanding of the situation.

　　Mobutu: That’s true.

　　Chairman Mao: It’s not that we’re not revolutionary; it’s that they themselves are simply incapable. If they can’t defeat you, what choice do we have?

　　Mobutu: Moreover, not only are they ineffectual, but they spend all their time deceiving those who regard them as friends.

　　Chairman Mao: They’re finished now, aren’t they? Completely routed by you.

　　Mobutu: Today, Zaire is a major power at the heart of Africa, enjoying peace and stability—a firmly established nation. The people of Zaire have united behind a single leader and a single party. The matters we just discussed are already in the past.

　　Chairman Mao: Really, all in the past?

　　Mobutu: Yes, those things are over, which is precisely why we can sit together today to celebrate Sino-Zairian friendship.

　　Chairman Mao: Why “Zaire”?

　　Mobutu: That was our country’s original name—Zaire. Later, King Leopold II of Belgium changed it to Congo.

　　Mobutu: On the contrary, I am not afraid; rather, I advocate peaceful coexistence.
　　Chairman Mao: I do not advocate peaceful coexistence; I advocate revolution!
　　Mobutu: I too am engaged in revolution—in my own way.
　　Chairman Mao: Of course, we pay lip service to peaceful coexistence and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, yet deep down our real aim is world revolution!
　　Mobutu: We too are carrying out revolution, but according to our own methods.
　　Chairman Mao: Each side follows its own approach. You pursue yours, and we will pursue ours.
　　Mobutu: Exactly.
　　Chairman Mao: We should be forthright in expressing our views and avoid falsehoods.
　　Mobutu: I have noticed this since arriving here.
　　Chairman Mao: Take, for example, the joint communiqué we reached with Nixon…
　　Mobutu: Yes, I have read it several times.
　　Chairman Mao: It essentially allows each side to state its own position. There are a few points of common ground where cooperation is possible.
　　Mobutu: I have also observed this.
　　Chairman Mao: The Americans look down upon us. They look down upon Africans and Asians as well.
　　Chairman Mao: We support those who oppose you. You make no secret of it—you speak openly. Nor do we; we speak openly as well.
　　Chairman Mao: Now, however, the two countries are set to cooperate. Since you talk about peaceful coexistence, I can hardly object anymore.



Thanks to Ayana Sakura for collecting, entering, and proofreading.