EN-LAIT ADDRESSES THE FLN
The Chinese Revolution scored a major diplomatic victory with the announcement in Algiers December 27 that the Tunisian government intends to recognize the People's Republic of China. The announcement came as the delegation of some 100 representatives of the New China, headed by Premier Chou En-lai and Foreign Minister Chen Yi, participated in farewell celebrations in the Algerian capital before proceeding to Morocco, the next stop on their tour of newly independent states of Africa,
The recognition to be. grantec by Tunisia is an important gain for China in the African continent. Perhaps even more important is the implication of a shift of forces in the Western camp to the disadvantage of the blockade which U.S, imperialism has sought to maintain against revolutionary China,
In his appearances in Algeria (and previously in Egypt), Chou En-lai did much to counteract the unfavorable image of the People's Republic of China which both the U,S.State Department and Khrushchev have sought to create and maintain by distorting China's positions on war and peace, and by taking advantage of badly formulat ed Peking statements plus Maots self defeating defense of Stalin,
It was especially noticeable that in Algeria, where he was trying to make a good impression on some very independent-minded revolutionists, Chou En-lai was conspicuously silent about the "merits" of Stalin, This was all to the good, .
Chou En=lai stressed Pekingts. opposition to nuclear war and the Chinese interest in peaceful coexistence between states. At the same time he talked about the need for developing the struggle against capitalism and imperialism, At a meeting of cadres of the FLN LFront de Libération Nationale] in Algiers December 25, he spoke rather vigorously on this:
tthe present international situation is excellent; it is favorable to the development in dept of the Algerian Revolution and to the revolutionary struggle of the peoples of various countries. The revolutionary forces of the peoples of the world are rapidly growing. The forces of the socialist countries continue to develop, The anti-imperialist revolution is storming vast regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America, In the developed capital- ‘ist countries of Western Europe and North America, great masses of workers are energetically unleashing mass struggles, All’ these forces are converging in an irresistible current.of struggle against imperialism and for the defense of world. peace,”
Chou En-lai developed this optimistic picture even further: "“Mean-= while the imperialists run into increasingly great difficulties and into more and more accentuated internal contradictions, while they fight among. themselves either openly or surreptitiously, and proceed farther and farther along the road of disintegration, From the preceding, it is clearly to be seen that in the world today it is the revolutionary forces of the people. that are rising; and not the rotten forces of imperialism, colonialism and neocolonialism that are really powerful.
"American imperialism, armed to the teeth, has not even been able to
prevent. the population of South Vietnam from marching from victory to victory in their armed revolutionary struggle, nor the Cuban people from gaining in their revolution,
"Tt is more and more evident that the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America need only to unite and persevere in their struggle to be able to defeat imperialism, colonialism and neocolonialism and to advance ‘triumphantly along the revolutionary road: they themselves have chosen,'
In relation to the Algerian Revolution, Chou En-lai carefully refrained from taking any position on internal problems which could have been seized on as a pretext to charge him with intervening in Algeria's internal affairs, Nevertheless he indicated the feelings of the Chinese people. toward Algeria:
tour: Algerian friends and brothers have often referred to the aid given by the Chinese people to Algeria, We felt that it was our international duty to aid the Algerian people in their struggle. The aid has ‘always been mutual. In fact, it was the Algerian people who helped us in the first place by their struggle. Our aid to the Algerian people has been limited. The struggle of the Algerian people and their victory constitute | in themselves great aid for the Chinese people, for the peoples of other world, countries and for all the oppressed nations and peoples of the world, ;
Besides the establishment of closer fraternal relations between the. Chinese and Algerian peoples in their common struggle for a better world, there were many reports in the press that conversations were held on the’ possibility of strengthening economic ties.
Because of her own poverty, China is not able to grant aid on the scale possible to the Soviet Union. [China granted Algeria a. $50,000,000. interest-free loan, while the USSR granted a loan of $100,000,000 at a low rate of interest. ] However, China is in great need of oil and thus there may be substance to. the repeated reports that this subject was discussed in the light of Algeria's desire to develop her own enormous. potential ‘in this field.
.