Chapter 40 U.S. imperialism is the common enemy of the Chinese and Japanese peoples[1]

(June 21, 1960) You are very welcome.Delighted by the heroic struggle of the Japanese people.Your struggle is a great support for the Chinese people and the people of the world, and the object of your struggle is the world's largest imperialism.This country once controlled China, aided Chiang Kai-shek in the civil war, and now still occupies our Taiwan.It has military bases in Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. In fact, it also occupies South Vietnam, and there are many other countries west of Pakistan.This is our common enemy.Last year, when the leader of the Japanese Socialist Party Inejiro Asanuma[2] visited China, he delivered a speech in Beijing, saying that US imperialism is the common enemy of the Chinese and Japanese peoples.At the time, some people thought this statement was too extreme.The current struggle of the Japanese people has greatly surpassed what was said last year. The scope and scale of the struggle are beyond what was expected last year.This struggle erupted from opposition to the "Security Treaty"[3], and its basic nature was to oppose U.S. imperialism and its agent in Japan, Nobusuke Kishi[4], and to demand national independence and democracy, because the treaty was an agreement between the Japanese and U.S. reactionaries. Forced by the House of Representatives.That is to say, the nature of the Japanese revolution was a national democratic revolution.The workers' strike is not about economic slogans, but political slogans, which is rare in the world.Moreover, some high-level intellectuals participated in the struggle. For example, the President of the University of Tokyo, Seiji Mao, held a school-wide protest meeting on the second day after the "June 15" tragedy[5], and led everyone to take to the streets to demonstrate.The victim was a student at the University of Tokyo named Kawa Michiko, who is now known all over the world.Her father is Hua Junxiong, a professor at Central University, specializing in law.It seems that thousands of professors have been organized, women have caught up with them, and monks and other religious figures have also come out. Workers and students are the main force.There will be an even bigger strike tomorrow.

Japan has American military bases. In the past, people had no way to deal with them. They were both distressed and unable to attack them.Now you Japanese people have come up with a good solution, which is to carry out a mass struggle of the whole people, and all the forces except U.S. imperialism and its proxies unite to fight against U.S. imperialism and its proxies.China basically used this method in the past.There used to be armed struggle in China, but there was no armed struggle during the May 4th Movement in 1919, which was against the treaty of the Paris Peace Conference[6]. This was after World War I, and there was no Chinese Communist Party at that time.Two years later, in 1921, the Communist Party was born. At first, there were only a few dozen people.There was the Northern Expedition in 1926, and we cooperated with the Kuomintang at that time. You all know this history very well.In 1927, during the Northern Expedition to the Yangtze River, Chiang Kai-shek opposed the Communist Party and forced us to fight a civil war.Because we had Chen Duxiu, a Right opportunist in the party, we were unprepared for a sudden attack.China is a big country and has been fighting a civil war for ten years.Later, he fought against Japanese warlords and cooperated with Chiang Kai-shek.I have talked about this incident with many Japanese friends, and some of them said that it is not good for Japan to invade China.I said that aggression is of course not good, but we should not only look at the bad side. On the other hand, Japan has helped China a lot.If Japan had not occupied most of China, the Chinese people would not have awakened.For this, we have the Imperial Japanese Army to thank.But Japan has no burden now, because Japan has no colonies, but instead has become a colony and a semi-colony.In the sense that it has foreign military bases, it is a colony, but it also has an independent government, which is dominated by the United States. In this sense, it is also a semi-colony.Japan does not owe anyone's debt now, on the contrary, foreign countries owe Japan's debt.This foreign country is the United States, not Britain or France.So the Japanese people are now angry.I have talked with many Japanese friends, and I do not believe that a great nation like Japan will be ruled by others for a long time.Who is educating you Japanese people now? U.S. imperialism is your negative teacher, and at the same time it is our negative teacher.After 1945, China's affairs had nothing to do with Japan.It is U.S. imperialism, not Japan, that bullies China and helps Chiang Kai-shek fight the civil war.So the target of our hatred has shifted, not to Japan but to US imperialism.On the contrary, it is possible and necessary for our two great nations, China and Japan, to cooperate, because they are both oppressed by U.S. imperialism and share a common ground.It is the United States that is now oppressing the Chinese and Japanese peoples.Who else is there besides the United States? Is it the United Kingdom and France? Britain and France used to have spheres of influence in China, but they no longer existed during World War II, and the United States replaced Britain and France.

Your history of being oppressed is not long, but ours is very long, more than a hundred years old.But your industry, economy, and culture are more developed than ours in China.We are a backward country, and now you can still see the vestiges of backwardness.We have fewer people in higher education than you in proportion to the population. All of you here are younger than me.Most of the things in the world are done by young, relatively unknown, relatively low-status, and relatively less wealthy people.For example, Watt, who invented the steam engine in Britain, was born as a worker.You can always find many such examples.In 1958, I discussed this matter at the Second Session of the Eighth National Congress of the Party[8].Later, a survey was conducted on the people who invented and created around the world in the past three hundred years, and the results showed that 70% of these people were unknown, young, relatively low-status, relatively poor.I don't know how your situation in Japan is? Is it true that good things are done by old men and high officials? I don't believe it.It was those young people who surrounded Haggerty[9] and drove away Eisenhower, and Michiko Kawa, the victim of the "June 15" tragedy, was also young.I saw a short article[10] written by a young member of your delegation, Mi Takeuchi, in the China Youth Daily, and it was very well written.

We are always with you, always with the Japanese people who demand independence, democracy, and freedom, but not with Nobusuke Kishi. Things in the world are changing, very fast.For example, I met many Japanese friends four or five years ago, and they would not open their mouths when things in the United States were mentioned.I think the Japanese friends were thinking about the problem at that time. After listening to what we said, they did not object and were willing to listen and did not defend the United States.Now the situation has changed, because the Japanese people have taken actions all over Japan, such as writing slogans against the "safety treaty", demanding the cancellation of military bases, withdrawing U-2 aircraft, asking the Yankees to go back, and even the people of Okinawa rose to confront the United States People: "How long will you continue to occupy?" People from all walks of life in Japan have taken action. There are millions of people, which was unimaginable four or five years ago.I see great hope for Japan's independence and freedom.With the cancellation of the US military bases and the abolition of the "Security Treaty", Japan's independence and peace are assured, as is peace in Asia.Congratulations on your victory.

Victory is achieved gradually, and the consciousness of the masses is also gradually raised.Including us, we are also gradually awakening.The same is true for myself. I didn't know Marxism-Leninism when I was studying in middle school.I read books in two stages. First, I went to a private school, which was about Confucius[11] and feudalism. Then I went to school, where I studied capitalism and believed in the philosophy of Kant[12].Later, the objective environment forced me to form a communist group with the people around me to study Marxism-Leninism.So did Premier Zhou Enlai.At that time, I had no money to go to college, and I couldn't continue my studies.The normal school I went to was intended to be a teacher.I have worked as a primary school teacher and as a principal.At that time, I wanted to be a teacher, but I didn't want to be a member of the Communist Party.Later, he opposed the warlords and was influenced by "New Youth" [13]. "New Youth" was not originally a communist magazine.Later, I couldn't continue my job as a teacher, and I was forced to engage in student and labor movements. At that time, the Communist Party began to exist. This happened in 1919, 1920, and 1921.After Premier Zhou graduated from Nankai School, he went to live in Japan for a year and a half. When he came back to engage in the May 4th Movement, the warlords arrested him, and went to France to engage in work-study programs. Communist group.After the failure of the Great Revolution in 1927, many people went to Moscow to study at Sun Yat-sen University[15].

The Chinese revolution succeeded through many twists and turns.The Opium War broke out in 1840.From 1851 to 1864, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom failed for thirteen years.The Reform Movement of 1898, which Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao participated in, also failed.[16]Later, many people went to Japan, about 10,000 to 20,000 people.In 1905, the Tongmenghui[17] led by Sun Yat-sen was established in Japan.The 1911 Revolution of 1911 also failed, and Yuan Shikai[18] became emperor.Then the warlords fought.The May 4th Movement in 1919.In 1921 the Communist Party of China was established.In 1923 there was a general strike on February 7th.The May 30th Movement in 1925 was against British imperialism.In 1924, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cooperated and held the National Congress of the Kuomintang in Guangzhou.The Northern Expedition in 1926.When Chiang Kai-shek rebelled in 1927, we went underground and started fighting guerrillas.From 1927 to 1949, a total of 22 years of war were fought, including the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation.During the War of Liberation, the target of the struggle changed. It used to be Japanese imperialism, but now it has become US imperialism and its running dog Chiang Kai-shek, and it came to an end in 1949.It was ten years since the founding of New China last year.What we have done in the past ten years is socialist revolution and socialist construction, which is what you see now.There have been some achievements in the past ten years, but after all, the time is short and there are not many achievements.

I have told you so much history that I personally experienced, which shows that the Chinese people are gradually awakening, and our generation is also gradually awakening.I believe that you will gradually wake up.As I said just now, some Japanese did not dare to talk about U.S. imperialism four or five years ago, but when Asanuma visited China last year, he dared to make a speech saying that U.S. imperialism is the common enemy of the Chinese and Japanese peoples.One year later, the Japanese people launched such a large-scale struggle against the "Security Treaty." It should be said that progress has been rapid, and their consciousness has been greatly improved. Now they realize that US imperialism is the common cause of the Chinese and Japanese peoples. enemy.You can do it faster than us.We have been engaged in it for more than 100 years, from 1840 to 1949, a total of 109 years.Now the "security treaty" has not been reversed, but Eisenhower's visit to Japan has been reversed. The "safety treaty" still exists, but it will be reversed, and it may take some time. It is hard to say when it will be reversed, but it will always be reversed.Of course, I am not advocating that you start a war with the United States, and you can achieve your goal without resorting to war.There is no precedent for this elsewhere, maybe you will create a precedent.

There are also precedents in the past for achieving the goal of independence by means of fighting or not fighting.More than 180 years ago, the United States was a British colony.Washington[19] drove Britain away by means of war.India's independence did not go to war, the British allowed India's independence.You can find a suitable way, and it seems that you have found a way, which is the way now, to form a body such as the "National Conference to Prevent Security Treaties", which includes more than a hundred groups, and takes a leading and organized struggle Way.We in China did not take an approach like yours in the past.

Those of you who have never been to China may not be familiar with China, but you will become familiar with it after staying here, and you will know that the Chinese people are friendly to you. We support each other, learn from each other, and learn from each other's strengths. According to the "Mao Zedong Diplomatic Selected Works" published in 1994 by Central Literature Publishing House and World Knowledge Publishing House. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] This is a conversation between Mao Zedong and the Japanese literary delegation.

[2] Inejiro Asanuma (1898-1960), former chairman of the Japanese Socialist Party and social activist.He made contributions to the promotion of Sino-Japanese friendship and the normalization of relations between the two countries. He was assassinated by Japanese right-wingers in October 1960. [3] "Security Treaty", that is, "Japan-US Mutual Cooperation and Security Treaty".See note [3] on page 93 of this volume. [4] Nobusuke Kishi, then Prime Minister of the Japanese Cabinet. [5] The "June 15th" massacre was a violent event in which the Kishi government suppressed demonstrators.On June 15, 1960, 100,000 people from all walks of life in Tokyo staged a demonstration against the ratification of the "Japan-US Mutual Cooperation and Security Treaty" by the Japanese Diet and against US President Eisenhower's visit to Japan.During the march, the demonstrators were suppressed by armed police and attacked by Japanese right-wing groups. Two students including Michiko Kawa of the University of Tokyo were killed, and nearly 300 people were injured.This demonstration forced Eisenhower to postpone indefinitely his planned visit to Japan on June 19.

[6] From January 18 to June 28, 1919, a total of 27 countries, victorious and defeated in the First World War, held a peace conference in Paris, called the "Paris Peace Conference".In name, the peace conference was to draw up a peace treaty with Germany and "establish a post-war world peace." In fact, the victorious imperialist powers divided up the spoils and re-divided the world.The meeting signed the "Versailles Peace Treaty" and adopted the "League of Nations Treaty".Because the peace conference ignored China's sovereignty and status as a victorious nation, and illegally decided to allow Japan to inherit the pre-war German privileges in Shandong, the Chinese people launched the May Fourth Patriotic Movement, forcing the Chinese government delegation to refuse to sign the peace treaty. [7] Chen Duxiu (1879-1942), a native of Huaining, Anhui.In the first six years after the founding of the Communist Party of China, he was the main leader of the party.In the late period of the First Civil Revolutionary War, he gave up his leadership over the peasant masses, the urban petty bourgeoisie and the middle bourgeoisie, especially over the armed forces, advocated all alliances, denied struggle, and opposed the anti-communist and anti-people campaigns of the Kuomintang rightists. The conspiracy adopted a policy of compromise and surrender, so that when Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei, representatives of the big landlords and big bourgeoisie, successively betrayed the revolution and attacked the people suddenly, the Chinese Communist Party and the broad masses of the people were unable to organize effective resistance, and the first civil revolutionary war was defeated. to failure.On August 7, 1927, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held an emergency meeting in Hankou to sum up the experience and lessons of the failure of the Great Revolution and correct Chen Duxiu's right opportunism mistakes.Afterwards, Chen Duxiu was pessimistic and disappointed about the future of the revolution, accepted the views of the Trotskyites, set up a small organization in the party, and carried out anti-party activities. In November 1929, he was expelled from the party.He was arrested by the Kuomintang government in October 1932 and released from prison in August 1937.Died in Jiangjin, Sichuan in 1942. [8] That is, the Second Session of the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which was held in Beijing from May 5 to 23, 1958. [9] Haggerty, then the press secretary of the President of the United States.On June 10, 1960, when he arrived at Tokyo Airport as the prelude to Eisenhower's trip to Japan, he was besieged by 25,000 Japanese anti-Americans for more than an hour. [10] Refers to the Japanese scholar Minoru Takeuchi's article "May the struggle and friendship between the youth of China and Japan develop forever" published in the "China Youth Daily" on June 17, 1960. [11] Confucius, that is, Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC), named Qiu, styled Zhongni, was born in Zouyi (now Qufu, Shandong).A thinker, statesman, educator, and founder of Confucianism in the late Spring and Autumn Period. [12] Kant (1724-1804), the founder of German classical idealist philosophy, a famous representative of dualism, transcendentalism and agnosticism in the history of modern Western philosophy.His main works include "Critique of Practical Reason", "Critique of Judgment", etc. [13] "New Youth", a well-known publication during the May Fourth period, was founded in Shanghai in September 1915, with Chen Duxiu as the editor-in-chief.The first volume was titled "Youth Magazine", which was later changed to "New Youth".In the early days, it advocated democracy and science, opposed old morality, advocated new morality, opposed old literature, and advocated new literature. Later, it became a publication for promoting revolution and communism. [14] Yishibao is a newspaper published by the Roman Catholic (Catholic) Church in China. It was founded in Tianjin in 1915 and ceased publication in January 1949 when Tianjin was liberated.Zhou Enlai once wrote articles such as "European Crisis after the European War" for Yishibao. [15] Sun Yat-sen University, the Sun Yat-sen University of Chinese Workers, was founded in Moscow in 1925. It was renamed the Communist University of China Workers in 1929 and closed in the autumn of 1930. [16] Kang Youwei (1858-1927), a native of Nanhai, Guangdong.Liang Qichao (1873-1929), a native of Xinhui, Guangdong.In 1898 (the Year of 1898), Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, and Tan Sitong launched reforms with the support of Emperor Guangxu in an attempt to gradually implement a constitutional monarchy system in China under the joint rule of the landlord class and the bourgeoisie through top-down reforms. , to develop national capitalism.The diehards headed by Empress Dowager Cixi resolutely opposed the reform and reform, launched a coup, killed six people including Tan Sitong, Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao fled to Japan, and the reform failed. [17] Tongmenghui refers to the Chinese bourgeois revolutionary political party China Tongmenghui.In August 1905, members of revolutionary groups such as the Xingzhong Society and the Huaxing Society jointly formed the Tongmenghui in Tokyo, Japan, and adopted the bourgeois revolution proposed by Sun Yat-sen, "expel the Tartars, restore China, establish the Republic of China, and equalize land rights." political platform.Sun Yat-sen was elected prime minister.Under his leadership, the Tongmenghui actively carried out revolutionary propaganda, and the United Party and the New Army launched many armed uprisings.The Wuchang Uprising broke out in October 1911 (Xinhai Year), and soon formed a national revolutionary movement to overthrow the Qing Dynasty.After Yuan Shikai seized power, the Tongmenghui was reorganized into the Kuomintang in August 1912. [18] Yuan Shikai (1859-1916), a native of Xiangcheng, Henan.At the end of the Qing Dynasty, he served as governor of Shandong, governor of Zhili and minister of Beiyang, and became the leader of Beiyang warlords.During the Revolution of 1911, he served as the Prime Minister of the Qing government cabinet.In 1912, with the support of imperialist countries such as Britain, the United States, and Japan, he stole the post of interim president of the Republic of China and organized the first Beiyang warlord government representing the big landlords and big compradors.In May 1914, the "Interim Constitution of the Republic of China" was announced to be abolished, and the "Constitution of the Republic of China" was promulgated at the same time, and the dictatorship was implemented.In May 1915, it accepted Japan's "Twenty-One" plan to destroy China.In December of the same year, he proclaimed himself emperor, and in March 1916, under the opposition of the people of the whole country, he was forced to abolish the imperial system. [19] Washington, see note [12] on page 194 of this volume.