Will Moscow and Peking renew their polemics?

Press, 24 February 1977, Page 16

Will Moscow and Peking renew their polemics?

By 1

DEV MURARKA

in Moscow 7

Five months after the death of Mao Tse-tung Moscow has fired the first salvo of muted criticism directed at Peking, hi a commentary signed “observer” signifying high level political clearance, “Pravda” has complained that China continues to talk about a “Soviet threat.”

The commentary is an expression of disappointment in Moscow over the lack of response from Mao’s successors to Soviet overtures of friendship. “Pravda’s” commentary says, “There is no need to refute this invention” (of Soviet threat). Nonetheless, it goes on to refute it at some length and lists the positive moves Moscow has made, since 1971, to conciliate China.

“Pravda” complains that while the Chinese continue to parade the Soviet Union as a threat to their security, they do ' not react to offers of non-aggression treaties and declarations, and refuse

to hold a summit meeting of the leaders of the two countries. The newspaper goes on to declare that prolongation of the Soviet menace theory “by no means answers the interests of the Chinese people and only plays into the hands of the enemies of Socialism and relaxation of international tension.” No doubt, this is aimed at the United States, which continues to view the prospect of any reconciliation between Peking and Moscow with distaste and misgivings.

The pretext for the commentary was a conference of oil workers in China at which the usual Chinese anti-Soviet rhetoric was reiterated. The commentary is seen by some as a resumption of general polemics between Moscow and Peking. The argument goes that Soviet patience with Peking’s obduracy is now wearing very thin and the “Pravda” com-

mentary is the first step in the battle. Russians have been closely following the struggle for power in Peking, and though the struggle is far from resolved. some tentative trends have come to the surface recently. One of the events which attracted Soviet attention is the holding of four simultaneous national conferences in Peking on defence problems. Though little is known about the nature and work of these conferences, they appear to demonstrate a successful effort by Chairman Hua to win over the army to his side. Since it is the Chinese army that contains the most likely pro-Soviet elements in China, the “Pravda” commentary is a subtle reminder to these elements that when they bargain with Mr Hua, they should not forget to promote their own cause, a lowering of hostility towards the Soviet Union in external policy as well as internal propaganda. — O.F.N.S. Copyright.