Mao Zedong: Xinjiang must do well in economic work and strengthen national unity

 

(The caption above reads: In 1963, Mao Zedong met with Baoer Khan, Chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.)

(Translator's preface: Mao Zedong's policy on national minorities consistently held to two central features: [1] that there should be preferential treatment for national minorities; and [2] that in the relations between the majority Han Chinese and Chinese belonging to national minorities, the responsibility lay with the Han Chinese to overcome Han chauvinism and to treat the national minorities with respect. These two aspects can be clearly seen in these excerpts from discussions on the Xinjiang issue. From Vol 46 of the Collected Works of Mao Zedong.)

Xinjiang must do well in economic work and strengthen national unity[1]

 (28 September 1963)

Agriculture, animal husbandry and industry must develop more and more every year, the economy must prosper more and more every year, and the people's lives must improve more and more every year. The development of our economy and the improvement of people's lives must be better than not only during the period of Guomindang rule, but also than in the present Soviet Union. The development of socialist construction requires accumulation, but not too much accumulation; food must be requisitioned, but the task must not be too heavy and the requisition must not be excessive. The people's burden must be eased and their lives improved. The supply of goods to the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, such as cloth, tea, sugar and other daily necessities, should be more adequate than in other regions. The Premier[2] should tell Xiannian[3] to inform him.

To strengthen ideological and political education, Han cadres must learn the language and script of ethnic minorities. We must educate Han cadres and people to strictly abide by the Party's ethnic policy. We must believe in the vast majority of the ministries and people of all nationalities, no matter which nationality they are, as long as they are working people. The Han Chinese working people who have entered Xinjiang must be well settled. The relationship between the working people of the Han Chinese and the working people of the ethnic minorities in Xinjiang must be resolved. Because of the differences in ethnicity, language and living habits, it is necessary to educate Han Chinese working people on ethnic policies, to teach them to respect the customs and habits of ethnic minorities, to mobilise them to learn the languages of ethnic minorities, and to improve relations and solidarity with ethnic minority working people. We need to help solve the marital and other problems of Han Chinese working people who have gone to Xinjiang.

 

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[1] This is part of what Mao Zedong said in September 1963 when he summoned some of his comrades in charge of the Central Committee, including Zhou Enlai and Zhu De, and Wang Enmao, First Secretary of the CPC Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Committee, to discuss the work in Xinjiang.

[2] This refers to Zhou Enlai.

[3] This refers to Li Xiannian.

Mao Zedong: Depend on ourselves in revolution and construction

 

(Above: Mao Zedong meets Chairman Aidit of the Indonesian Communist Party on September 3, 1963)

(Translator's preface: This comes from the Collected Works of Chairman Mao, Vol 46.  The Chinese original can be found on bannedthought.net).

Depend on ourselves in revolution and construction[1]

(September 3, 1963)

We had difficulties for only two and a half years, in 1960, 1961 and the first half of 1962, and things got better in the second half of 1962. Last year we produced more than 10 million tons of grain more than the year before. This year the situation is a little better. Although there have been floods in northern China this year, particularly in Hebei and Henan, the country is likely to produce around 10 million tonnes more grain than last year. Now we are concentrating on cotton, oilseeds, tobacco and sugar. We have found a way. We have had two kinds of experience, the wrong experience and the right experience. The right experience encouraged us, the wrong experience taught us. The Soviet Union withdrew its experts and broke the contracts, which was good for us. We had no choice but to rely on ourselves, on our own two hands. Then the Soviet Union regretted it and wanted to send experts again, to do business with us, but we refused. If they send us more experts, one day they will withdraw them and break the contract. They had lost our trust. It was at this time in 1960 that the Soviets withdrew their experts and now, three years on, we have developed a lot of our own experience in industrial construction. When you leave the master, the student learns on his own. There are advantages and disadvantages to having a teacher. You don't need a teacher. Read, write and think for yourself. This is a truth. From the founding of the Party in 1921 to 1934, we suffered the consequences of having a teacher, who drafted the programme and the resolutions of the Central Committee plenum, especially in 1934, which caused us great losses. Since then, we have learned to think for ourselves. It took us a few years to get to know China. How can Chinese people not understand the situation in China? The real understanding of independence began at the Zunyi Conference, which criticised dogmatism. The dogmatists said that everything was right in the Soviet Union and did not combine the Soviet experience with the Chinese reality. The slogan of combining the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with Chinese practice was put forward during the Yan'an Rectification. This slogan was included in the Moscow Declaration of 1957, which said that the universal truths of Marxism-Leninism should be combined with the concrete practice of each country. Foreign experience, no matter which country it is, can only be used for reference.

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[1] This was part of a conversation between Mao Zedong and a delegation from the Indonesian Communist Party, led by N.D.Adit.