CHINESE TROUBLES.

Evening Star, Issue 25325, 6 November 1944, Page 6

CHINESE TROUBLES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir. —Three times this year you have published editorials ou China and hex struggles. ■ On the first occasion I attempted, in.a letter, to correct some of the misconceptions of your leading article, but from your later article it is obvious that J was unsuccessful in my purpose. The following is an article taken from the New York ' Daily Workei ' of June 12, 1944:—"Edgar Snow, in the current ' Saturday Evening Post,' discussing Chinese partisans: ' In Yugoslavia we and the British and the Russians now actively aid Tito simply because his forces actively fight the Germans, but in Asia wo have so far given no official recognition to the Chu-Moo armies (led by Chinese Communists) which offer virtually the only armed opposition to the Japanese in North China. Yet the Chinese partisan movement is actually much the largest guerrilla organisation in the world. What makes it of special interest to us to-day is the changing strategy of the Pacific war implied by the rapid westward -advance of our naval and air forces. . . . Guerrilla China has become the scene of' the broadest efforts of mas mobilisation and mass education in Chinese history. The partisan regimes carrying out that effort have been able to survive and flourish because they have won the devoted support of the farmers, and particularly of the youths, hundreds of thousands of whom • have died in this little publicised struggle. This fight ing nation constitutes the closest ap proach to ipolitical and economic democracy the Chinese have ever known, and has a Government which, so far, may honestly be called incorruptible.' " Your insinuation that the Chinese people are naturally incapable of organising and living, in a democratic form of State is unworthy of a citizen ;of tlrevllnited Nations,-pledged to destroy Fascism and;overthrow its effects, of which social discrimination is one. The Communist Party- of China was affiliated to the Third International before i its "dissolution. It' has 800.000 members. 500,000 troops, and has united 'with over 100,000,000 people in blood and flesh through actual fighting. These figures were correct in August, 1943.—] am, etc.. R. Taylor. November 3. [We expressed no opinion oh the Chinese people's capacity for democracy. What we said was that, as a method of central government, it was opposed to all traditions in the East. In other relationships China has been said to be traditionally and in practice more democratic than the West.—Ed. E.S.]