China Defends Its ‘Paper Tiger' Thesis

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30072, 5 March 1963, Page 13

China Defends Its ‘Paper Tiger' Thesis

(N .Z .P .A.-Reuter—Copyright)

PEKING, March 4. The Chinese Communist Party today defended Mao Tsetung’s thesis that “imperialists are paper tigers.” The Chinese urged Communists to “despise the enemy strategically, while taking full account of him tactically.”

The Soviet Prime Minister (Mr Khrushchev) recently criticised the “paper tiger” idea and warned that Western paper tigers now “have nuclear teeth.”

The New China News Agency issued the fourth and last instalment of a 100,000word article on China’s stand in the Communist ideological dispute. The article has been issued in advance of publication in the journal ‘‘Red Flag.” The Chinese said their opponents’ views on the “paper tiger” issue were “full of inconsistencies and practically nonsensical.” The article said the arguments of China’s opponents all ‘‘suffer from one fatal weakness—they never dare to touch seriously on Lenin’s scientific conclusion that imperialism is parasitic, decaying and moribund capitalism.” It said history taught that all revolutionaries come to. be revolutionaries “because in the first place they dare to despise the enemy, dare to struggle and dare to seize victory. “Those who fear the enemy . , . can be nothing other than cowards. They can be nothing other than reformists or capitulationists: they can certainly never be revolutionaries.” The article said the world situation at present was most favourable for the people of all countries. It said: “It is strange that in this favourable situation, certain people should concentrate their efforts on wantonly attacking the thesis of despising the enemy strategically, should exaggerate the strength of imperialism. . . . “Instead of enhancing the people’s spirits and punctuating the enemy’s arrogance, they are encouraging the enemy’s arrogance and trying to dampen the people’s spirits.” The article said those who were trying to demolish the Chinese thesis should first try to demolish Lenin’s thesis. “Why don’t you directly refute Lenin’s thesis that imperialism is a ‘colossus with feet of day’ and a ‘bugbear?’ What else does this show other than your cowardice before the truth.” The article said Marx, Lenin and Engels always despised the enemy strategically, while taking full account of him tactically.

It had already affected relations between the Chinese and Russian Governments. The Russians had already reduced their trade and aid to China by more than a half. It was believed Mr Khrushchev might now cut off all supplies to China, said the "Sunday Telegraph." Last week the Chinese, who broadcast nine times a day to

Russia through Peking Radio, accused the Russians of jamming the broadcasts. The “Sunday Telegraph” said the Russians had so far made no reply, either by press or radio, to the latest attacks from Peking. both sides were still insisting on their readiness to discuss differences at a conference of Communist leaders. But the bitterness of the latest Chinese attacks suggested the differences were already too grave to be easily resolved. “Khrushchev Doctrine’’ Mr Khrushchev’s “doctrine” of pledging Soviet aid in the defence of Communist regimes everywhere was presumably his reply to criticism from Peking, the “New York Times” said yesterday in an editorial written for its West Coast and European editions. “Premier Khrushchev has now supplemented his proclaimed policy of peaceful coexistence with what might be called the Khrushchev doctrine,” it said. Under this "doctrine” Mr Khrushchev pledged Soviet Russia to defend, even at the price of thermonuclear war, Communist regimes everywhere, in particular those of China, East Germany and Cuba. He pledged such defence not only against attack from the outside but also against any anti-Communist revolt from the inside. He had already demonstrated this phase of the doctrine both in East Germany and in Hungary. “According to this Khrushchev theory, revolts or civil wars against non-Communist regimes are just wars of liberation but any anti-Com-munist revolt is an attempt by the imperialists to impose their will on the people in violation of their right to choose the socio-political system they want,’’ the newspaper said. Distribution In Moscow Chinese diplomats in Moscow have begun distributing copies of their latest criticisms of Mr Khrushchev's leadership of world communism, according to the London “Sunday Telegraph” yesterday. Translations of “People’s Daily” editorial accusing the Russians of “perfidy” and “cowardice” in their relations with China were, being made available to all “interested persons,” said the newspaper.

Chinese announcers invited Russian listeners to send to Peking for copies of the “Red Flag” article. It was now clear the Chinese intended to make sure people inside Russia and the Communist camp were aware of their arguments, said the report.

The apparent aim of the Chinese propaganda campaign was to dislodge Mr Khrushchev and his "clique,” who, they claimed, had led the Communist movement astray. The “Sunday Telegraph" said Soviet leaders had never tolerated the distribution inside Russia of material even faintly critical of Soviet policy. Such provocative action against the Kremlin might well lead to the long-awaited breach of relations between Moscow and Peking. Distribution of the Chinese literature in Moscow could well serve as an excuse for demanding that Mao TseTung withdraw his ambassador from Moscow. This in turn would enable the Chinese to put the blame for the split on Mr Khrushchev, said the "Sunday Telegraph." R said observers in Moscow stressed yesterday that the dispute had gone far beyond the limit of “ideology.” "He makes it plain that as long as the threat of anti-

Communist attack exists, Soviet Russia will continue to build up its military might and that as long as the North Atlantic Alliance strengthens its power the Soviets will not budge on their conditions for disarma- : ent or a test ban. Reference to Cuba

“The doctrine is presumably Mr Khrushchev’s answer to the Chinese Communists. The latter accuse him not only of trying to dominate them, but also of being timid as mice in shirking from a thermonuclear war with the imperialists that would leave Peking supreme in a world of ruins. But it is also directed against the United States, with specific reference to anti-Castro forces in Cuba,” it said. The Russian-Chinese dispute may be holding up Soviet plans for a new round of talks with the United States over Berlin, American experts believe.

It might also be responsible for the current standstill in the nuclear test ban negotiations in Geneva, Administration officials said. It was the Soviet Union which suggested the renewed Berlin talks, but so far it had not followed up by suggesting a date, though the United States has expressed its readiness to try once again to see whether worth-while negotiations are possible. This has led to conjecture that Soviet strategists are uncertain as to how they should proceed with their policies towards the West.

American experts speculated that Mr Khrushchev might have originally suggested the renewed Berlin talks in the hope that they would coincide with a toning down of the ideological dispute with Peking.

Possible doubts within the Soviet Government over its future stand in relation to the West were regarded by American experts as the most likely explanation for the rather sudden return to Moscow of the Deputy Foreign Minister (Mr Kuznetsov), who was conducting the nuclear test ban negotiations in Geneva.