CHINESE AFFAIRS

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Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP79T00865A001100180001-1
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RIPPUB
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T
Document Page Count: 
25
Document Creation Date: 
December 20, 2016
Document Release Date: 
February 10, 2006
Sequence Number: 
1
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Publication Date: 
June 9, 1975
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NOTES
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PDF icon CIA-RDP79T00865A001100180001-1.pdf822.87 KB
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Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO011001800 -1 Op Secret 25X1 M Chinese Affairs State Department review completed Top Secret June i5 L75 25X1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 25X1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 Approved For Releas 1 2-0061031 it m - 1100180001-1 June 9, 1975 Angola: Renewing Old Acquaintances . . . . . . 3 Progress in the Provinces . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Concern About Textile Export Restrictions . . . 9 An Unhappy Anniversary for Chiang Ching . . . . 11 Pressuring Taipei . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Red Guards Are Back? . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 CHRONOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 Approved For Releas 2006/03/17 - - 1100180001-1 25X1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 Next 1 Page(s) In Document Exempt Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 Approved For Relea Angola: Renewing Old Acquaintances A delegation from the Soviet-backed Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, one of the three liberation groups that share power in Angola's transitional government, is visiting Peking. The delegation is led by Lucie Lara, deputy to Agostinho Neto, the Movement's president, who visited Peking himself in 1971. Lara probably will attempt to convince the Chinese to reduce or cease their sup- port to the National Front for the Liberation of Angola, the Movement's major rival. He perhaps will even seek to obtain some support for the Popular Movement. The Popular Movement and the National Front are about evenly matched in Angola. Peking has provided the Front with modest amounts of arms and ammunition and has assigned about 1.00 military advisers to the Front's training camps in Zaire. The two liberation groups have been arch-rivals since the early 1960s. During the insurgency they clashed with each other almost as often as they did with Portuguese troops. All-out war between them remains a strong possibility, and the Popular Movement could emerge the winner. Peking's decision to host representatives of the Popular Movement, ending a hiatus of a year and a half, may be in part a recognition of the organization's growing political strength in recent months. The invitation to the Popular Movement also ap- pears part of a larger effort by the Chinese to spread their influence to all three Angolan groups. About a month ago a group representing the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, the smallest June 9, 1975 25X1 25X1 25X1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865A0l1100180001-1 Approved For r elease 900610311Z - CI - 0865AO01 100180001 -1 of the three organizations, visited China and was promised a small amount of military aid.. Peking has been channeling funds to this organization for at least the past year. The Chinese probably will continue to channel the bulk of the military assistance to the National Front. China's move to broaden its influence among Angolan groups may stem from its concern about the growing rift between Zairian President Mobutu and the National Front over the future of oil-rich Cabinda. The Angolans assert that the exclave is part of their country, but Mobutu has yet to recog- nize this claim. Peking may fear that should Mobutu withdraw his support from the National Front, this could only strengthen the Popular Movement and the National Union. Even before the Cabinda dispute began to gain momentum, Zaire's severe economic prob- lems placed restraints on its aid flow to the National Front. Contact with the Popular Movement and National Union at this point can only help ensure that Peking will be well positioned when Angola gains its independence in November--even if this means irritat- ing Mobutu by dealing with the Popular Movement. Mobutu has long been at odds with the Popular Move- ment. June 9, 1975 Approved For RoIease 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00845AO01100180001-1 25X1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 Approved Fo a ease :L;lA-KUVfU1U 865A001100180001-1 Progress in the Provinces The appointment of a first secretary in Hupeh and the initial results of "get tough" measures aimed at dissident workers indicate that Peking is making progress on two of its bigger headaches: demilitarization of provincial party committees and restoration of labor discipline in Chinese factories. The new first secretary is Chao Hsin-chu, a cultural revolution purge victim who was rehabil- itated two years ago. Like other recent appointees, Chao is a veteran civilian administrator who seems to have close ties to the moderate group now in com- mand in Peking. The appointment of Chao points up Peking's continuing drive to remove military men from major provincial posts. In Hupeh, the center passed over the ranking party secretary (a military man) to name Chao, the most senior of the civilian secre- taries, to the top post, which was last filled by one of the senior military commanders rotated 18 months ago. Moreover, Chao is the fourth first sec- retary named in the past five months; all have been civilians, and all have replaced military men. Only eight provinces still have an active duty army of- ficer as first secretary, down from 17 just two years ago. Although determined to ease military men out of traditionally civilian political posts, Peking's attitude toward disfavored officers seems to have changed in the past year. During the height of the anti-Confucius campaign, Peking seemed intent on purging a number of them outright. Now, the center has apparently decided instead to reassign some of them to purely military duties. The former first secretary of Shansi has been appearing in Peking, June 9, 1975 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865A001100180001-1 Approved For Relea 7 01100180001-1 25X1 where he may be performing military duties, and the former boss of Tsinghai has apparently been trans- ferred to Shantung after a stint at the center. Also, career officers who have managed to stay on the right side of central authorities are being rewarded. Foochow Military Region Commander Pi Ting-chun is the latest provincial army officer to lead a military friendship delegation abroad. 25X1 Peking's efforts to increase worker discipline and boost lagging production also seem to be bearing fruit-IF I 25X1 The improvement is at least partially attribut- able to new "get tough" measures authorized by Peking in March. Wages are being withheld from workers who claim to be "ill" or whose productivity has dropped significantly. Rail disruptions of all sorts are the target of another strict directive. Threats have been coupled with incentives, too. Some bonuses are being paid to workers, evidently based as much on their attitude as on their performance. Similar measures have been used before with limited success, but the proletarian dictatorship campaign with its strong law-and-order undertones and its stress on punishing economic misdeeds seems to have provided new force. Formidable problems remain in both the provinces and the economy,-despite Peking's latest efforts. Ap- pointing a new first secretary is only part of the story; each new leader--like Chao Hsin-chu--must establish his authority before he can effectively deal with the problems of a particular province. Some have had difficulty doing so, like Tan Chi-lung in Chekiang, and others who seem to be relatively successful--like Chao Tzu-yang of Kwangt.ung--face June 9, 1975 25X1 Approved For R 610220 210=03117 - GIA-RDRUT008 Approved Fq continuing challenges to their authority. While Peking seems to be making some headway in con- trolling the effects of worker discontent, it has not yet really come to grips with its causes. June 9, 1975 25X1 Approved Igor Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79Tp0865AO01100180001-1 Approved For Relea e - 100180001-1 Concern About Textile Expar Restrictions F_ I The Chinese are showing increasing concern over a depressed world market for their textiles, tradi- tionally a major earner of hard currency. Countries running a large trade surplus with China are re- ceiving particular attention, and Chinese trade of- ficials are threatening some with retaliatory action for alleged discrimination. With other countries, notably the US, they are taking a conciliatory at- titude in an effort to increase textile exports to the American market. Australia, which is seeking to restrain imports of Chinese textiles, has received the bluntest warn- ing. The PRC has threatened to reduce wool purchases if textile exports are disrupted. This type of threat is not unique in Sino-Australian trade relations. Twice in the 1960s, China responded to curbs in Aus- tralian footwear imports by cutting purchases of Aus- tralian hides. With regard to Japan, China's textile trade last year was aimed at importing cloth and yarn and export- ing finished garments. Although there is no contractual link between sales and purchases, the Chinese feel a strong moral commitment exists to balance roughly this trade agreement. They were extremely annoyed that they imported large amounts of cloth and yarn without reciprocity by the Japanese. Exports of Japanese textile products to China rose from $63 million in 1973 to more than $200 million last year, but Chinese ex- ports of clothing to Japan only doubled, from $47 mil- lion in 1973 to $100 million in 1974. If this trend continues, China may resort to the same type of threat against Japan that it has used with Australia. June 9, 1975 25X1 25X1 25X1 Approved For Relbase 2006/03/17 - CIA-RDP79T00865A001100180001-1 Approved For, There has been some concern by US textile producers over the rising amount of imported Chinese textiles. Textile imports to the US of $38 million in 1974, up from $12 million in 1973, however, rep- resent less than 1 percent of total US textile im- ports. In the event of US import restrictions on PRC textiles, retaliatory action is unlikely. Any reduction in imports of Chinese cotton, a ,textile related product, is more likely to be tied to a rise in cotton output in China. Moreover, cotton imports from the US are contracted for through private firms instead of a national organization, making it difficult to exert political leverage. June 9, 1975 Approved ForlRelease 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79TQ0865AO01100180001-1 Approved For Relea An Unhappy Anniversary for Chiang Ching The anniversary on May 23 of Mao's talks on literature and art was greeted with the customary outpouring of propaganda and a month-long festival sponsored by the Ministry of Culture. Missing from this year's festivities, however, is any, direct mention of China's cultural czar, Chiang Ching. Neither Radio Peking nor the provinces referred to Chiang Ching in their broadcasts commemorating the anniversary. Last year, by contrast, four provinces mentioned her--Heilungkiang on three separate occasions. It may be significant that the then party boss of Heilungkiang, military man Wang Chia-tao, seems now to be in political trouble. Madame Mao did manage to elbow her way into the anniversary celebration, but not without difficulty. The only mention of her name occurred not in China but in Hong Kong, in the PRC-controlled newspaper Wen Hui Pao, which has appeared to act as a mouthpiece for Chiang Ching. In an interview with a Peking musician, the paper carried his reference to a 1965 instruction from Chiang Ching on composing a "revolutionary" symphony. In Peking, People's Daily ran an unexceptional article on May 23 under the pseudonym Chu Lan, who seems to be Chiang Ching or someone who writes on her behalf. The article lacked the usual stridency of earlier Chu Lan pieces, however, and seemed to follow the propaganda line established the previous day by Liang Hsiao, another pseudonym for an obviously authoritative person whose identity is not clear but who generally adopts a moderate position. The only distinguishing feature of Chu Lan's article was its bold praise of Chiang Ching's June 9, 1975 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865A~01100180001-1 25X1 25X1 25X1 Approved For CIA-RDP79T 0865AO01 100180001 -1 "model" cultural works, which were said to have borne "rich fruit." Liang Hsiao merely wrote that the model works "exemplified" the current revolu- tion in culture. Chiang Ching's minuscule role in this year's anniversary is another sign of her diminishing political status. She has made only six public appearances this year. The Chinese media have praised her by name only three times since the beginning of the year, and only once from Peking. Interestingly, Madame Mao's political woes do not seem to have affected Yao Wen-yuan,- generally regarded as her closest associate. Yao has logged some 26 public appearances this year, most of them since April. In the past, Yao's public appearances roughly paralleled those of Chiang Ching. He has maintained a fairly high public profile, however, since he took part in substantive talks with visit- ing North Korean President Kim Il-song in April. For the moment at least, it appears that Yao's political fortunes are not so closely linked to Madame Mao's as they once were. Should this state of affairs continue, it would seem likely that Yao, sensing that his future would be limited if he con- tinued to throw in his lot with Chiang Ching, had tried to seek a modus vivendi with those in the leadership whose future appears reasonably secure in the post-Mao/Chou era. June 9, 1975 25X1 Approved F r Release 2006/03/17: CIA-RDP79 00865AO01100180001-1 Approved For Releasp 2006103117 : C1 - 01100180001-1 25X1 Pressuring Taipei Peking's efforts to pressure the Chinese Na- tionalists into some form of communication with the mainland continue to be rebuffed by Taipei. Ten former Nationalist officers, released by Peking earlier this year as part of an amnesty of "Kuomintang war criminals," have been in Hong Kong for nearly two months awaiting Taipei's decision on their applications to visit Taiwan. On June 2, the Hong Kong government granted the releasees a one- month extension of their stay in the colony; it was the fourth such extension since they arrived on April 14. Taipei has made it clear that the releasees will not be granted permission to enter Taiwan unless they are willing to publicly declare their opposition to Peking. Since Taipei certainly recognizes that it would be extremely awkward for the "war criminals" to re- verse their well-publicized pro-Peking positions, it is clear that Taipei is in no mood to do any kind of business now with Peking. Taipei is also very much aware of the ramifica- tions of admitting the "war criminals." In April, Premier Chiang Ching-kuo told the US ambassador that he had issued instructions to reject any attempts the releasees make to visit Taiwan. Last month, Nationalist Foreign Minister Shen Chang-huan said that if any of the amnestied group were allowed to enter Taiwan, Peking would claim that it signaled the beginning of "contact" between the two parties. Shen added that this might lead to rumor and speculation that would put Taipei on the defensive-- which is what Peking obviously has in mind. June 9, 1975 25X1 25X1 Approved For ReleaseLOGW=47. QW. 100180001-1 Approved F - 00865A001100180001-1 For its part, Peking has continued through its media outlets in Hong Kong to decry Taipei's "in- sensitivities" to the plight of the "war criminals." The pro-Peking press in Hong Kong has also argued that Taipei's fear of accepting the releasees re- flects the weakness of the Taipei government. For- tunately for Taipei, however, the international press has not given heavy play to the issue because of its preoccupation with recent events in Indochina. The June 4 suicide of one of the releasees, however, could refocus foreign press attention on the situation. News of the suicide received banner headlines in many of Hong Kong's major newspapers, which attributed the act to despair over the failure of the Nationalist government to act on requests to visit Taiwan. Peking's current campaign for communication with Taipei began last February when Liao Cheng-chih sug- gested increased "compatriot-to-compatriot" contact in a speech commemorating the 1947 Taiwan "uprising." Recent Chinese propaganda has also encouraged Taiwan residents to visit relatives on the mainland and has included rather heavy coverage of Peking's invitation to Taiwan residents to participate in China's national games this fall in Peking. Peking appeared to be following up on this theme last month in a broadcast beamed to Taiwan. Although the broadcast did not refer directly to the desir- ability of communications with the mainland, it explicitly linked the collapse of pro-US regimes in Indochina with the situation faced by the Taipei government, and equated former South Vietnam president Nguyen Van Thieu's regime with the Nationalist leader- ship. The broadcast called upon officials in Taipei to draw the appropriate "lessons" from the South Vietnamese example, especially regarding the futility of reliance on the US, and to work for the "liberation" of Taiwan. June 9, 1975 Approved or Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79TO 865AO01 100180001 -1 Approved For Relea - 01100180001-1 Peking seems to be telling the Nationalists that, despite current US support, their long-term prospects are doomed--unless Taipei recognizes the inevitability of reunification. Peking is also implying that Nationalist leaders can avoid a fate similar to that of former president Thieu only by agreeing to some sort of accommodation with the mainland. June 9, 1975 Approved For ReleaLe 2006/03/17 - - 001100180001-1 25X1 25X1 25X1 Approved For Final preparations appear to have started for the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Youth League, the final step in rebuilding the mass youth organization. The Inner Mongolian League Committee recently held an enlarged plenum to greet the con- vocation of the National Congress and elect their delegates. Despite the imminence of the National Congress, which would indicate that conditions have stabilized and questions regarding the approach to youth work have been resolved, recent events indicate that the league's role vis-a-vis that of the Red Guards still has not been resolved. At a recent experience exchange rally in Shang- hai, the Red Guards were given an equal role with the league in the effort to "grasp education of young people" under the current dictatorship of the proletariat campaign. Although both the league and Red Guards were well represented at the rally, greater emphasis was placed on the need to strengthen the building and organizational role of the Red Guards. Red Guards also re-emerged in a Shanghai middle school establishing and leading theoretical study groups under the current dictatorship of the prole- tariat campaign, a role previously reserved for party cadres. Moreover, an article by the Party Committee of the No. 17 Shanghai Cotton Mill, which is asso- ciated with Wang Hung-wen, stresses the leading role of party and league cadres in leading theoretical study groups with no mention of a Red Guard role. The Red Guards as an institution have had no political power since late 1968. Those who now be- long to the rather shadowy remnant organizations which June 9, 1975 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T0p865AO01100180001-1 Approved For Release 001100180001-1 had flourished in 1966-68 are at best the younger brothers and sisters of those students who engaged in "struggle" at the height of the cultural revolu- tion. Unlike the cadres and workers whose cultural revolution associations re-emerged during last year's anti-Confucius campaign, these young students have little or no partisan memory of the heady days of the "revolution." They are therefore not a politi- cal pressure group in the sense that the workers' and cadre groups were last year and probably still are. The Red Guards are, however, a symbol precisely of the cultural revolution itself. And as a symbol, their role--like the historical significance of the "revolution"--remains unresolved. For this reason the question of whether or not the Red Guard organ- izations are to play a role in youth work is a po- litical issue--one of considerable sensitivity. Al- though several other provinces have mentioned the Red Guards in connection with preparations for the Youth League congress, none has spoken of a specific role for the Red Guards. most provinces have made no mention of the Red Guards at all. This diverse treatment suggests that the issue is alive as well as sensitive. The treatment of the issue in Shanghai may be merely an isolated incident, but it highlights the problem that even a token role for this symbol of the cultural revolution is a question that will have to be t d by the Youth League congress when it convenes. June 9, 1975 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO101100180001-1 25X1 25X1 25X1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 Next 1 Page(s) In Document Exempt Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T008654001100180001-1 The current issue of Red Flag carries a strong call for the now standard theme of unity and sta- bility and links this theme to the proletarian dictatorship campaign. Dubbing the campaign a "study movement," the article makes it clear that the campaign is not to interfere with the promotion of stability or to be used as an excuse for fac- tionalism and divisiveness. Repeating the goal of achieving modernization by the end of the century, as stated by Chou En-lai at the National People's Congress, the article argues that unity and sta- bility are needed in order to "gain time" to pursue modernization in a variety of fields. The article's repeated use of the phrase "unity and stability"-- it is mentioned some 26 times--and its call to "defend" this notion suggest that Peking remains worried about potentially disruptive elements in society and that unity and stability have not yet become a universally accepted practice. A month after raising the controversial issue of how to treat college graduates and what kinds of jobs to assign them, Liaoning Province announced on May 27 that college graduates are expected to regard themselves not as an elite group but as ordinary workers. In late April, the provincial radio broadcast the texts of two wall posters, one of which contended that highly trained college graduates would be wasting their education if they were assigned to positions as "ordinary" workers, d an the, other insisting that college graduates June 9, 1975 25X1 Approved Ifor Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T0086P5A001100180001-1 Approved For Releas The announcement was conciliatory in its attitude toward the writer of the now-discredited poster and toward others who supported this view. Local officials were said to have used "patience" and "reason" to persuade them to change their minds. The writer of the "losing" poster made some valid arguments that are generally in line with China's current preoccupation with economic progress and modernization. Liaoning's decision to endorse the opposing argument, however, suggests that the edu- cation issue remains highly contentious. The Chinese press has reported in a favorable light the results of President Ford's meeting with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in Salzburg. In a news release on June 3, NCNA sought to convey the impression that the talks were held in a cooperative spirit and were productive. More specifically, it gave positive treatment to the announcement that the US is prepared to provide Cairo with long-term economic aid and to the news that arrangements are being made for an exchange of US-Egyptian presiden- tial visits. It also raised the possibility that Secretary Kissinger might undertake another round of shuttle diplomacy. The article mentioned that the US will pro- pose its own plan for the settlement of the Middle East problem and linked this to President Ford's talks with Israeli Prime Minister Rabin in Washington this week. Peking obviously hopes that the US will direct most of the pressure for concessions at Tel Aviv, a position which Chinese diplomats abroad have been voicing since the breakdown of Secretary Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy in March. The Chinese believe that unless such pressure is brought to bear, the US risks losing the initiative in Middle East diplomacy to the Soviet Union. China has been de- cidedly unenthusiastic about a reconvened Geneva conference, fearing that this will give Moscow a larger voice in any settlement. 25X1 June 9, 1975 Approved For Releaso 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 Approved May 23 May 27 May 28 May 29 May 30 Chinese military friendship delegation arrives in the Sudan. Egyptian trade delegation led by Min- ister of Trade arrives in Peking; May 31--signs 1975 trade protocol. Chao Hsin-chu, a civilian veteran, identified as first secretar of Hupeh. Syrian trade union delegation arrives in China. Vice Foreign Minister Ho Ying greets the Palestine 'Saiga' delegation in Peking. gresses. Inner Mongolia elects delegates to National Trade Union, Women's Federa- tion and Young Communist League con- Chinese military delegation headed by Deputy Chief of Staff Hsiang Chung-hua visits Yugoslavia. Romanian party leader Ceausescu receives ministerial-level Chinese dele ation headed by Ching Fu-hsiang. June 1 Trinidad and Tobago oil delegation ar- rives in Peking. June 2 Teng Hsiao-ping receives delegation of American Societ of Newspaper Editors. I June 9, 1975 25X1 25X1 25X1 25-X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 - CIA-RDP79TDO865AO01100180001-1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865A001100180001-1 25X1 June 2 General manager of the China Ocean Shipping Company departs to attend the reopening of the Suez Canal. Vice Foreign Minister Ho Ying meets with delegation of the Popular Move- ment for the Liberation of Angola. Thai parliament "goodwill" mission concludes one-week visit to China. of Kyodo News Service. New China News Agency (NCNA) delega- tion, headed by NCNA director Chu Mu-chih, arrives in Tokyo as guests June 4 Philippine trade and manufacturing delegation arrives in Peking. ,Party of Chile. June 6 Australian foreign Minister Don Villesce arrives in Peking and meets with Premier Chou En-lai. Keng Piao, head of the International Liaison Department, fetes a delega- tion of the Revolutionary Communist June 7 Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos arrives in Peking to conclude agreement on establishment, of diplo- matic relations.;' meets with Chairman Mao and Premier Chou there. June 9 Joint communique, issued from Peking, announces establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines. June 9, 1975 Approved For Release - 001100180001-1 25X1 Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1 Top Secret Top Secret Approved For Release 2006/03/17 : CIA-RDP79T00865AO01100180001-1