The Two Fates of China

Two Fates for China

Comrades! The Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China opens today.

What is the significance of our congress? We should say: this congress of ours concerns the fate of the four hundred and fifty million people of all China. There are two fates for China: one of them has already been written up in a book by someone; our congress represents the other fate for China, and we too shall produce a book. Our congress is to overthrow Japanese imperialism and set the whole Chinese people free. It is a congress for defeating the Japanese aggressors and building a new China — a congress for uniting the people of all China and the people of the whole world to win the final victory.

The moment is very favourable. In Europe, Hitler is about to be beaten down. The principal part of the world anti-fascist war lies in the west, and there the war is coming swiftly to victory — the fruit of the efforts of the Soviet Red Army. The Red Army's guns can already be heard in Berlin, which will probably be taken before long. In the east, the war to overthrow Japanese imperialism is likewise nearing the season of victory. Our congress stands on the eve of the final victory of the anti-fascist war.

Two roads lie before the Chinese people — the road of light and the road of darkness. There are two fates for China: the fate of a bright China and the fate of a dark China. Japanese imperialism is not yet defeated; and even once it is defeated, these two prospects will still remain. Either an independent, free, democratic, united and prosperous-strong China — that is, a bright China, a new China in which the Chinese people have won liberation; or another China, semi-colonial and semi-feudal, divided, poor and weak — that is, an old China. A new China or an old China: these two prospects still stand before the Chinese people, before the Communist Party of China, before our congress.

Since Japan is not yet defeated, and since even after her defeat the two prospects will still exist, how then should our work be done? What is our task? Our task is nothing else but to set the masses in motion with a free hand, build up the people's strength, unite every force in the country that can be united, and — under the leadership of our Party — strive to defeat the Japanese aggressors and build a bright new China: an independent, free, democratic, united, prosperous and strong new China. We must strive with all our strength for the bright prospect and the bright destiny, against the other dark prospect and dark destiny. That is our one task! It is the task of our congress, the task of our whole Party, the task of the whole Chinese people.

Can our hope be realised? We hold that it can. The possibility exists, for we now already possess these several conditions:

First, a strong Communist Party of China, rich in experience and gathering one million two hundred and ten thousand party members;

Second, a strong liberated area, embracing a population of ninety-five and a half million, an army of nine hundred and ten thousand, and a people's militia of two million two hundred thousand;

Third, the aid of the broad masses of the people of the whole country;

Fourth, the aid of the peoples of all the countries of the world, and especially of the Soviet Union.

A strong Communist Party of China, a strong liberated area, the aid of the people of the whole country, the aid of the peoples of the world — given these conditions, can our hope be realised? We hold that it can. Conditions such as these have never before existed in China. Over the years some conditions had come into being, but never so complete as now. The Communist Party of China has never been so strong as now; the revolutionary base areas have never commanded so large a population and so great an army; the prestige of the Communist Party of China among the people of the Japanese- and Kuomintang-ruled areas is now at its highest; and the revolutionary strength of the Soviet Union and of the peoples of other lands is now also at its greatest. Given these conditions, to defeat the aggressors and build a new China is, we may say, entirely possible.

The base text is the Wikisource version, nineteen paragraphs. It opens by calling this a 'great congress' of the four hundred million Chinese people, and attributes the other fate to the already-defeated Japanese invaders; the last paragraph returns to the working attitude of modesty, prudence, guarding against arrogance and impetuosity.

We need a correct policy. The basic point of this policy is to set the masses in motion with a free hand, build up the people's strength, and — under the leadership of our Party — defeat the aggressors and build a new China.

Twenty-four years have passed since the Communist Party of China came into being in 1921, and in that time it has gone through three heroic periods of struggle — the Northern Expedition, the war of the agrarian revolution, and the war of resistance against Japan — and has gathered rich experience. By now our Party has become the centre of gravity of the Chinese people's resistance to Japan and salvation of the nation, the centre of gravity of the Chinese people's liberation, the centre of gravity of defeating the aggressors and building a new China. The centre of gravity of China lies nowhere else but with us.

We should be modest and prudent, on guard against pride and against restlessness, serving the Chinese people with heart and soul — at present, to unite the people of the whole country and defeat the Japanese aggressors; in the future, to unite the people of the whole country and build a new-democratic state. Provided we can do this, provided we have a correct policy, provided we strive as one, our task can certainly be accomplished.

Down with Japanese imperialism!

Long live the liberation of the Chinese people!

Long live the Communist Party of China!

Long live the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China!

The four conditions listed are: a Communist Party of one million two hundred thousand members; a liberated area of ninety-five million people and a People's Liberation Army of nine hundred and ten thousand plus two million militia; the support of the whole people; and especially the assistance of the Soviet Union. The four are set out in first-to-fourth order and summarised in the last paragraph.

This piece, 'On Coalition Government' and the two other congress addresses are the three documents of the Seventh Congress; their times are close and they may be read in combination. The four conditions quoted in the introduction also appear in the relevant passage of 'On Coalition Government'.