Polemic on General Line of International ... - From Marx to Mao

We consistently maintain that those who refuse negotiationsunder all circumstances are definitely not Marxist-Leninists.The Chinese Communists conducted negotiations with theKuomintang many times during the revolutionary civil wars.They did not refuse to negotiate even on the eve of nationwideliberation.Comrade Mao Tse-tung said in March 1949:Whether the peace negotiations are overall or local, weshould be prepared for such an eventuality. We shouldnot refuse to enter into negotiations because we are afraidof trouble and want to avoid complications, nor should weenter into negotiations with our minds in a haze. We shouldbe firm in principle; we should also have all the flexibilitypermissible and necessary for carrying out our principles. 1Internationally, in struggling against imperialism and reaction,the Chinese Communists take the same correct attitudetowards negotiations.In October 1951, Comrade Mao Tse-tung had this to sayabout the Korean armistice negotiations.We have long said that the Korean question should besettled by peaceful means. This still holds good now. Solong as the U.S. Government is willing to settle the questionon a just and reasonable basis, and will stop usingevery shameless means possible to wreck and obstruct theprogress of the negotiations, as it has done in the past,success in the Korean armistice negotiation is possible;otherwise it is impossible. 21Mao Tse-tung, “Report to the Second Plenary Session of the SeventhCentral Committee of the Communist Party of China”, Selected Works,Eng. ed., FLP, Peking, 1961, Vol. IV, p. 372.2Mao Tse-tung, “Opening Speech at the Third Session of the FirstNational Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference”,Renmin Ribao, October 24, 1951.252