Peaceful coexistence
New China is a powerful weapon to break through the isolation and containment policy of the United States
On 25 October 1971, after a week of heated debate, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly was voted on in the conference hall of the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA. The electronic ticket board flashed first: 59 votes against, 55 votes in favor, and 15 abstentions, vetoing the "important issue" proposal put forward by the United States, Japan and other countries. In an instant, the entire hall burst into thunderous applause. Then, the motion put forward by 23 countries, including Algeria and Albania, to restore all the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and to immediately expel the Kuomintang clique from all organs of the United Nations was voted on at the General Assembly, with 76 votes in favor, 35 votes against, and 17 abstentions, and it was adopted by an overwhelming majority! The audience once again erupted in enthusiastic cheers and applause.
For a long time in the early days of the United Nations, it was largely dominated by the United States. One of the reasons for this is that most of the 51 founding members of the United Nations are Western countries led by the United States and their followers, which account for the majority of the United Nations. The overwhelming victory of the twenty-sixth session of the General Assembly showed that in the United Nations, the largest international organization, there was a qualitative change in the balance of power, with 99 of the 131 member states at that time belonging to Asia, Africa and Latin America. At the same time, it shows that no one can contain China's status, role, and influence in the world.
1
China advocates the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence
To be engrained in peoples' hearts
China's stance of opposing war and safeguarding peace is well known to all. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are the great contribution of the Chinese people to the cause of world peace. As early as the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong put forward the main contents of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence with the Peoples of the World, saying: "Any foreign government is willing to sever relations with the Chinese reactionaries, no longer collude with or aid the Chinese reactionaries, and adopt a genuine, not hypocritical, friendly attitude toward the people's China, we are willing to negotiate with him on the establishment of diplomatic relations on the basis of the principles of equality, mutual benefit, and mutual respect for territorial sovereignty." The Chinese people are willing to practice friendly cooperation with the people of all countries in the world and restore and develop international trade undertakings in order to facilitate the development of production and economic prosperity. On December 13, 1953, when the Chinese and Indian governments held talks on China's Tibet region and Sino-Indian relations, Zhou Enlai pointed out in his speech: "After the founding of New China, the principles for handling Sino-Indian relations were established, that is, the principles of mutual respect for territorial sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and reciprocity, and peaceful coexistence." In April 1954, these five principles were formally enshrined in the preamble to the Agreement on Trade and Communications between the Tibetan Regions of China and India. As a result, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have become the basic norms for New China to enter the international arena and handle state-to-state relations. In April 1955, Zhou Enlai led a delegation to attend the Asian-African Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia. Thanks to the efforts of the Chinese delegation, the Final Communiqué of the Asian-African Conference incorporated the suggestions of the Chinese delegation and formulated the 10 principles of peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation, thus embodying and extending the five principles of peaceful coexistence. Since then, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have become more and more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, have been widely adopted in international affairs, and have become a powerful weapon for New China to break through the isolation and containment policy of the United States and expand foreign exchanges. China's diplomacy initially had diplomatic relations with only 16 of the 51 member states of the United Nations. By 1971, 70 of the 131 member states of the United Nations had diplomatic relations with China.
Zhou Enlai spoke at the Bandung Conference
On July 15, 1971, 18 member states of the United Nations, including Albania and Algeria (later increased to 23), sent a letter to UN Secretary-General U Thant, proposing that the issue of "restoring the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations" be included as an urgent issue on the agenda of the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Article 5 of the explanatory memorandum reads: "Facts have proven, and fully prove, that China sincerely desires peace and peaceful coexistence with all countries on the basis of respect for independence and territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, equality, mutual respect and the right of all peoples to determine their own destiny." The fact is that the international relations of the People's Republic of China are constantly developing, and more and more countries are establishing diplomatic and other relations with the PRC one after another. ”
On the evening of October 26, Mao Zedong convened a meeting of Zhou Enlai, Ye Jianying, Ji Pengfei, Qiao Guanhua and others at the residence of the Zhongnanhai swimming pool to immediately organize a delegation to attend the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
At 10 a.m. on 15 November, the Chinese delegation attended the UN General Assembly for the first time and was warmly welcomed like never before. The Conference, which was scheduled to end in half a day, resumed in the afternoon after a short break at noon and continued until 6.40 p.m. with welcoming remarks by representatives of 57 countries. The meeting became the longest meeting of the UN General Assembly that year.
On November 15, 1971, the Chinese delegation attended the United Nations General Assembly for the first time and was warmly welcomed.
In their speeches, representatives of many countries praised China not only as an advocate of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, but also as an exemplary implementer and defender of them. After reciting Mao Zedong's poem "Minus the Magnolia on the Road to Guangchang," the Chilean delegate continued: "We know that the People's Republic of China participates in our work in accordance with the principle of peaceful coexistence between countries with different social systems, and these principles are based on mutual respect, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, mutual non-aggression, equality and mutual benefit. We know that it follows the spirit of Bandung. We know that it does not want the privileges of a nuclear super-Power, although it will certainly fulfil its obligations as one of the five permanent members of the Council. We are convinced that it will make a great contribution to international security and effective peace and that it will contribute to the urgent needs of the underdeveloped countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. "The foreign policy of the People's Republic of China based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence--- which is also the pillar of the UN Charter--- is clear, and through this, it has won the praise and respect of the people of the world." The representative of Cyprus, who attended the Bandung Conference, said: "The whole world remembers China's great contribution to the historic Bandung Conference." After praising China for its "strict non-interference in the affairs of other countries, i.e., opposing the transformation of a country through conquest or intervention," the French delegate noted: "The participation of the People's Republic of China not only fills a huge vacuum, but also opens the way for our organization to gain new impetus." "The Romanian delegation expresses its conviction that the entry of the People's Republic of China into the United Nations will make a very important contribution to the strengthening of the United Nations and to enhancing the role of our Organization in promoting the principles of State-to-State relations, namely, independence and national sovereignty, full equality of rights, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, mutual benefit, non-use of force and threat of force," the representative of Romania said.
2
The achievements of the People's Republic of China
Let the third world countries rave
On November 12, 1971, the day after the Chinese delegation arrived in New York, it headed to the United Nations building. When the delegation arrived at the United Nations building, it was greeted by a sea of jubilant cheers. Reporters scrambled to capture the spectacle. Representatives of some countries to the United Nations said that such a grand occasion was extremely rare at the United Nations. Indonesian Foreign Minister Malik, President of the 26th session of the UN General Assembly, was very pleased to extend a warm welcome to the Chinese delegation. Representatives of many countries to the United Nations have taken the initiative to reach out to the Chinese delegation. The representative of Zambia said: "With you in the United Nations, there will be people who will protect the interests of our small country." The Algerian deputy said: "China's veto power means that all of us have veto power."
The five-star red flag flew in front of the United Nations building
With regard to the UN General Assembly on 15 November, the current President of the UN General Assembly, Indonesian Foreign Minister Malik, had decided in advance to hold a brief welcoming ceremony before listening to the Chinese delegation. With regard to the timing of the welcoming ceremony, the 23 sponsors considered that the time was too short and requested that there be no time limit for statements. After a struggle, the agreement was finally obtained. As a result, one country after another took the stage to speak, scrambling to be the first. It is on a level never before in the history of the United Nations.
The representatives of the third world countries expressed their feelings for the Chinese delegation in words full of excitement, cheerfulness, sincerity and enthusiasm, expressed their trust, encouragement and fraternal feelings for all the Chinese people, and praised the great achievements of the Chinese people. They condemned the exclusion of the People's Republic of China, which accounts for a quarter of the human population, from the United Nations for 22 years as a "mistake", a "fallacy", a "grave historical injustice", "the most serious shortcoming", and so on. They cheered that "a new page has been opened in history", "a new era for the United Nations has arrived", "victory for all mankind", and so on.
On September 27, 2019, Xinhua News Agency reporters interviewed former Tanzanian Prime Minister Salim, a recipient of China's "Friendship Medal". From 1970 to 1980, Salim served as Tanzania's representative to the United Nations. Salim said in an interview: "It was a historic moment for me, for Tanzania and for all of Africa to make great efforts to restore China's rightful seat in the United Nations." At the United Nations General Assembly on November 15, 1971, he delivered a long, impassioned speech. He paid tribute to China's "amazing progress" in science and technology. He also particularly praised China for "eradicating all forms of humiliation and degeneration at home" and said: "The mainland delegation is very happy and satisfied to see that the true representative of the great Chinese nation is with us." Their arrival will be a historic event not only for the United Nations but for international relations as a whole, because they will bring to the United Nations not only the great wisdom and experience of ancient civilizations, but also, more importantly, the vigor and dedication of great, revolutionary, intelligent and talented peoples. The cooperation, which has always characterized the relations between Tanzania and China and between the two peoples, will also be manifested at the United Nations. ”
In 1972, the then Prime Minister of Guinea, Beavogui, visited the Hongqi Canal in Linn County.
At that time, Zhou Enlai once proudly told foreign guests, "There are two miracles in New China, one is the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, and the other is the Hongqi Canal in Linxian County." "These two miracles are still very influential internationally. In his statement, the representative of Chile said: "It is those who have completed the tremendous technical achievement of building the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, who have put an end to corruption, opium, depravity, debauchery, etc., and have adopted a healthy and simple way of life." He quoted the great Chilean poet Neruda, who had just won the Nobel Prize, who had just won the Nobel Prize, to praise the "change of world" in old China when he was young.
"In 20 years, the country has become a great power, resolutely playing a progressive role in economic, social and cultural terms," the representative of Mauritania said. "Today's China is a successful example in all respects, and this will not surprise anyone who understands the faith and indomitable perseverance of the Chinese people and the boundless wisdom of the leaders of the Chinese people."
"As Mr. Fulbright, Chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, the dramatic changes that have taken place in the People's Republic of China are manifestations of 'an ancient civilization rising up against foreign barbaric forces.'" This barbaric force oppressed them in the 19th century and dealt a major blow to their economy, institutions and national pride'. No force can prevent the people of that country from fulfilling their great mission and triumphantly surviving to this great day. ”
At that time, the scene of the construction of the Hongqi Canal to open the mountain and transport stones
When the Albanian delegate said in his speech that "the great people's China has won tremendous victories in all aspects of national life, and that it has become a strong and unyielding bastion of socialism and peace, and an insurmountable obstacle to the hegemonic plans of US imperialism and Soviet social-imperialism," the Soviet delegate was so angry that his face was red and his neck thick, and the Yugoslav delegate could not help but hide his mouth and smile behind him. During his lunch break, the Bulgarian representative told the Chinese representative that he would like to speak, but the representative of the Soviet Union does not speak, and he is not good at speaking. Later, after the representative of the Soviet Union spoke, the representative of Bulgaria finally got his wish and became the last speaker of the day. The representative of Bulgaria was fortunate because the countries behind him could only submit written statements, which would be issued by the United Nations Secretariat.
Throughout the day, the conference hall was packed. The presence of so many people at the United Nations is unprecedented, as is the excitement of the scene. This vividly illustrates that China's international status, role, and influence as a member of the Third World are of great importance. China's friends are all over the world.
On June 25, 2021, the Blue Room Forum on "Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Lawful Seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations" was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This word "lifting" vividly reflects the deep friendship between the vast number of developing countries and China. Over the past 50 years, China has also unswervingly upheld the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries and stood up for them. China has stood with developing countries in the past, is and will continue to stand with developing countries, and China's vote in the United Nations will always belong to developing countries.
3
The helplessness and embarrassment of the United States and Japan
On the evening of October 26, 1971, when Mao Zedong talked about China's speech to the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly, he pointed out that the first speech should be eloquent. First of all, we must settle accounts, because we have not been allowed to enter the United Nations for so many years, and the Chinese people and the people of the world have a sense of anger. The main thing is the United States, followed by Japan, and it is not okay to ask for their names.
Beginning with the Fifth Session of the UN General Assembly in 1950, the United States relied on its hegemonic status at that time to play all kinds of tricks and despicably block China from the UN. After entering the 70s, the United States had to face up to the rise of China. On the issue of China's resumption of its seat in the United Nations, it faces an increasingly awkward and thorny situation. Nixon and Kissinger knew very well in their hearts: "In the end, no matter what position we take, we are bound to fail." However, on the one hand, under pressure from pro-Taiwan forces at home, and on the other hand, in order to safeguard the so-called principled stand -- in fact, it is the face of the United States, and the US Government still wants to do everything possible to prevent China from restoring its lawful seat in the United Nations and retaining its position as the Taiwan authorities.
On 17 August 1971, George W. Bush, the chief representative of the United States to the United Nations, sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, requesting that "the issue of China's representation in the United Nations be included in the agenda of the 26th session of the General Assembly," and formally put forward the absurd proposition of the so-called "two Chinas" of the US Government, calling that "it should be stipulated that the Republic of China should not be deprived of its right to be represented."
Bush as ambassador to the United Nations
Although Kissinger's secret visit to China a month ago began the thaw in Sino-US relations, China remains steadfast on issues of principle. On August 20, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China issued the Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, which was drafted under the personal auspices of Zhou Enlai. The statement pointed out: "The reason why the People's Republic of China has been deprived of its legitimate rights in the United Nations is caused by the US Government." "The restoration of the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations would have been a simple procedural matter. The US Government, on the other hand, has resorted to all kinds of tricks and obstructions, with the aim of keeping the Chiang Kai-shek clique in the United Nations and thus excluding the People's Republic of China from the United Nations. ”
On 20 September, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened. On 22 September, the United States, together with Japan and 19 other countries, submitted two draft resolutions to the United Nations entitled "related to the issue of China's representation in the United Nations" in a vain attempt to make a final stubborn resistance to the issue of China's return to the United Nations. On September 26, the People's Daily published an article entitled "Sato's Reactionary Face Exposed Again." The article pointedly pointed out: "Sato's decision to have Japan co-sponsor the US proposal has further exposed his reactionary features of being an accomplice of US imperialism."
The proposal by the United States and Japan, among others, was finally met with a complete defeat at the UN General Assembly on October 25. A "gloomy-faced" Bush said that it was a "humiliating moment," but he also had to admit that "no one can shy away from the fact that it may be unpleasant that the result of the vote just now does represent the views of the majority of the UN membership." In an article entitled "Nixon Laments the Cheers of the Delegates" in the New York Times on October 28, he pointed out that when the UN General Assembly passed the motion to restore all the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations, the audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers rarely seen in the history of the United Nations, and Nixon expressed fierce anger at this. This is not just about the failure of the vote for the United States, because after all, he has long expected that "it will always fail." And the "amazing demonstration" of the "undisguised" shown by the victors made him have to lament. You know, for such victors, the United States used to be "very generous" to them. You must know that in order to promote the "two Chinas", Nixon personally wrote letters to many heads of state before; "The United States has conducted all-out diplomacy in dozens of foreign capitals"; Secretary of State Rogers and George W. Bush have spoken more than 200 times with representatives of more than 100 countries, both inside and outside the United Nations; The U.S. uses the method of "promising to provide aid or implying that it will withdraw it" to implement a strategy of pulling and fighting; Some US congressmen have even threatened that if the two Arab motions are passed, the United States will cut its funding for the United Nations, and so on.
Bush took up his post as ambassador to the United Nations in early March 1971. However, in the autumn of that year, he tasted failure. As ambassador of the United States, he used all his resources to lobby to enable Taiwan to maintain its seat in the United Nations. However, his efforts failed. He later wrote in his autobiography: "A career diplomat never lets personal feelings influence his view of his work, and yet I am not qualified." Sitting in the U.S. ambassador's seat, I couldn't help but feel sad and angry at what was happening before me. The Republic of China, which had helped to establish the United Nations, had been expelled from the international community, an event that the General Assembly was celebrating. If this is the 'Congress of Humanity, the Union of the Worlds', then the world is in serious trouble. ”
On November 15, 1971, Qiao Guanhua led a delegation to attend the United Nations General Assembly, and met Bush, the US permanent representative to the United Nations, before entering the venue, and the two shook hands and talked.
However, Bush is still a relatively sensible political figure. He knows that an undefeated opponent can be a friend. In order to reduce the embarrassment of dealing with Chinese colleagues in the future, he arranged through the arrangement of the director of the United Nations Protocol Division, Korley, so that he could have a "chance encounter" on the way into the conference hall led by Qiao Guanhua. When Collay accompanied Qiao Guanhua and his entourage to the vicinity of Bush, who was talking on the phone at a table, Collay took two steps forward and introduced Bush to Qiao Guanhua. Bush hurriedly stretched out his hand to Qiao Guanhua to shake hands and salute him, saying, "Hello, Mr. Regiment Commander!" Qiao Guanhua replied politely, "Hello, Mr. Ambassador!" At this time, several American reporters hurriedly took this meaningful shot. For Bush, the mood of this small episode was somewhat relaxed. Although he was directly criticized and criticized by some countries and Qiao Guanhua's "settling accounts" at this meeting, Bush could only sit upright in that atmosphere.
The representative of the People's Republic of the Congo made a blunt statement: "Despite all the measures taken by the United States and many conspiracies, the movement to normalize China's representation in the United Nations and to make it truly certain has become an irresistible and irreversible force." The representative of Cuba pointed out: "The presence among us of the representatives of the People's Republic of China marks the end of the era of discrimination, bullying and aggression imposed on this Assembly and by this organization by United States imperialism against the Chinese people and their people's governments." Some third-world countries have also responded to the distorted reports made by the US media on the euphoric scene at the venue when Resolution 2758 was adopted on October 25: "No one has the right to tell us when to be happy and when to be unhappy; No one has the right to tell us when to laugh and when not to laugh!"
Bush made a brief statement as the representative of the host country. After welcoming the Chinese delegation, he said, "All of us--- including the United States--- almost all agree on the view that the historic moment for the People's Republic of China to participate in the United Nations has arrived." ”
The representative of Japan made a speech that was also not long, but he used a phrase that was different from that of other Western countries: "Warm welcome" and stressed: "It is expected that the delegations of our two countries will have close contacts and develop friendly relations between us through such contacts."
However, as a principled country, China will not settle its scores.
After the delegates from all over the world delivered welcome speeches, the president of the conference announced that Qiao Guanhua, head of the Chinese delegation, was invited to speak, and Qiao Guanhua walked up to the podium amid long warm applause and began his speech for nearly 40 minutes.
Qiao Guanhua speaks at the United Nations General Assembly
On behalf of the Chinese Government and people, Qiao Guanhua first expressed his heartfelt thanks to the many UN member states for their unremitting and fruitful efforts to uphold principles, uphold justice, and restore China's lawful seat in the UN. He said:
"It is only because of the obstruction of the US Government that the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations have been deprived for a long time, and the Chiang Kai-shek clique, which has long been spurned by the Chinese people, has been able to steal China's legitimate seat in the United Nations. This is a gross interference in China's internal affairs and a wanton violation of the UN Charter. Now, this irrational situation has finally changed. ”
"On 25 October 1971, the current session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution by an overwhelming majority deciding to restore all the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and to immediately expel the representatives of the Chiang Kai-shek clique from the United Nations and all its subordinate organs. This is the bankruptcy of a policy of hostility, isolation and blockade of the Chinese people. This is the failure of the US Government's plan to create 'two Chinas' at the United Nations in conjunction with the Sato Government of Japan. This was the victory of Chairman Mao Zedong's line of revolutionary diplomacy. This is a common victory for the people of the world. ”
When Qiao Guanhua finished speaking, the hall erupted in long-lasting applause. This speech was called "one of the most important speeches in the history of the United Nations" by a Kyodo News reporter. At that time, the three major television networks in the United States said in a report broadcast immediately after the congress that the first speech made by the Chinese representative after entering the United Nations was like a bombshell.
This bombshell made Bush feel the strength of New China even more. In 1974, he dismissed President Gerald Ford as ambassador to Britain or France, and chose to go to China as the head of the liaison office in China. He said: "It is certainly coveted to send envoys to Britain and France, but it is even more challenging to go to China, and New China is on the rise." The reason why the Japanese delegate used the phrase "warm welcome" in his speech was because Kissinger had already visited China, and Nixon would also visit China in the future, and as the younger brother of the United States, the only thing that could take the initiative was to normalize diplomatic relations between Japan and China as soon as possible. The warm welcome received by the Chinese delegation at the United Nations could not but make them change their course at an accelerated pace. Eisaku Sato was quickly abandoned. After taking over, Kakuei Tanaka visited China in September 1972 and normalized diplomatic relations between China and Japan.
Source: Party History