Harsh Chinese attack on Soviet ‘aggression’

Press, 26 September 1980, Page 6

Harsh Chinese attack on Soviet ‘aggression’

NZPA New York Drawing a lesson from what it called the “appeasement” policies that preceded World War 11, China has urged that the world close ranks against the Soviet Union or face “another holocaust.”

Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Huang Hua told , the United Nations General Assembly: “The question of how to check the naked armed aggression in Afghanistan and Kampuchea must have priority over other issues,” in the United Nations this year. Mr Huang’s attack, : although not uncustomary for Chinese language toward the Soviet Union, was the harshest among speeches delivered since Monday by Foreign Ministers attending the thirty-fifth General Assembly. “The hegemonists will never stop where they are,” he said.

He said that unless what he described as the Soviet “drive southward” i was stopped, “it will be difficult for the world to avoid another holocaust.” He said condemnations and calls for sanctions were insufficient.

“We must also adopt effective measures to help the people of countries subjected to aggression, because in fighting for their national independence and liberty, they are in fact struggling for international peace and security.” He did not spell out what steps he would support. “If we yield our positions one after another,” he said, “we shall be backed against the wall with nothing but the choice between complete submission or being caught totally unprepared for a major war. The course of World War II has demonstrated to the full what a heavy price one had to pay for the failure to make the right choice in time.” Mr Huang also charged that the speech by the Soviet Foreign Minister (Mr Andrei Gromyko) delivered on Tuesday was, in fact, proof of Moscow’s habit of “trumpeting the slogan of detente, especially after a massive aggression and expansion.” ~; H e continued: “Shortly after, the Afghan incident, it was predicted that the Soviet Union would come forward. with her round of the ‘detente’ offensive.

“That is exactly what happened. The new item entitled ‘certain urgent measures for reducing the war danger’ proposed by Mr Gromyko at the plenary meeting on Tuesday for consideration at the current session is precisely such a kind of. thing,” Mr Huang said. “If the Soviet Union is really sincere about reducing the war danger is there any action more urgent and practical than the scrupulous implementation of the General Assembly resolution endorsed by 104 . countries?" The resolution called for the immediate and total withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

He mapped out what he said was Soviet strategy.

“In driving south towards the Indian Ocean and along the Pacific Ocean in co-ordi-nation with its activities of expansion in the Red Sea and the Hom of Africa, the Soviet Union aims to seize strategic sites in the vast area of crucial importance — from the Red Sea and the Arabian Peninsula encircle the oilfields in the Gulf and control key international sea lanes.”