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

The Chinese leaders, too, approved. They spoke of thetremendous international significance of the 20th CPSUCongress.In his opening address at the Eighth Congress of the CommunistParty of China, in September 1956, Comrade Mao Tsetungsaid:“The Soviet comrades, the Soviet people, have acted in accordancewith Lenin’s instructions. They have achieved brilliantsuccesses in a brief space of time. The recent 20thCongress of the CPSU likewise worked out many correctpolitical propositions and condemned shortcomings in thework of the party. It can be said with confidence that infuture their work will develop on an exceptionally great scale.”In the political report of the CPC Central Committee, deliveredat the Congress by Comrade Liu Shao-chi, this appraisalwas further amplified:“The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the SovietUnion, held in February this year, is a most important politicalevent of world-wide significance. It not only outlined themagnificent sixth five-year plan and a number of most importantpolitical directives aimed at furthering the cause ofsocialism and condemned the personality cult, which had ledto serious consequences in the party, but it also advancedproposals for the further promotion of peaceful co-existenceand international co-operation and made an outstanding contributionto the relaxation of international tension.”Comrade Teng Hsiao-ping, in his report on changes in theParty Rules at the same Eighth Congress of the CPC, said:“Leninism requires that party decisions on all importantquestions be taken by an appropriate collective, and not individually.The 20th Congress of the CPSU convincinglydemonstrated the great importance of unswerving observanceof the principle of collective leadership and of the struggleagainst the personality cult. This has had a tremendous influencenot only on the CPSU, but also on Communist partiesin all countries of the world.”557