On the Outrages by British Warships

#PUBLICATION NOTE

This edition of On the Outrages by British Warships has been prepared and revised for digital publication by the Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism under the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Switzerland on the basis of the following edition: On the Outrages by British Warships, in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, First English Edition, Vol. 4, Foreign Languages Press, Beijing, 1965.

#INTRODUCTION NOTE

This is a statement written by Comrade Mao Zedong for the spokesperson for the General Headquarters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in Beijing, China on the 30th of April, 1949. It was first published by the New China News Agency on that date.

On the 20th and 21st of April, 1949, while the People's Liberation Army was fighting its way across the Yangzi, the Amethyst and three other British warships intruded into the river, an inland waterway of China, and, together with Nationalist warships, fired on the people's army, causing 252 casualties. The People's Liberation Army returned the fire; the Amethyst was disabled and forced to anchor near Zhenjiang; the other three British warships escaped. The British authorities requested that the Amethyst should be allowed to leave, and its captain, acting on the orders of Brind, Commander-in-Chief of the British Far Eastern Fleet, conducted negotiations with the representative of our army. During these negotiations, the British side consistently prevaricated and refused to admit its criminal acts of aggression. While the negotiations were continuing, on the night of the 30th of July, the Amethyst forced its way alongside a passenger ship, the Liberated Jiangling, which was going downstream off Zhenjiang, and escaped by using that ship as a shield. When the people's army signaled a warning to the Amethyst to stop, it opened fire, collided with, and sank a number of junks and escaped from the Yangzi River.

Comrade Mao Zedong's statement expressed the solemn standpoint of the Chinese people, who feared no threats and resolutely opposed imperialist aggression; it also put forward the foreign policy of the New China which was soon to be established.

#Workers and oppressed people of the world, unite!

#ON THE OUTRAGES BY BRITISH WARSHIPS

#STATEMENT BY THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GENERAL HEADQUARTERS OF THE CHINESE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY

#Mao Zedong

#30th of April, 1949

#★

We denounce the preposterous statement of the warmonger Churchill.¹ In the British House of Commons on the 26th of April, Churchill demanded that the British government should send two aircraft carriers to East Asia for «effective power of retaliation». What are you «retaliating» for, Mr. Churchill? British warships together with Nationalist warships intruded into the defence area of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and fired on the People's Liberation Army, causing no less than 252 casualties among our loyal and gallant fighters. Since the British have trespassed on Chinese territory and committed so great a crime, the People's Liberation Army has good reason to demand that the British government admit its wrongdoing, apologize, and make compensation. Isn't this what you should do, instead of dispatching forces to China to «retaliate» against the Chinese People's Liberation Army? Prime Minister Attlee's statement is also wrong.² Britain, he said, has the right to send its warships into China's Yangzi River. The Yangzi is an inland waterway of China. What right have you British to send in your warships? You have no such right. The Chinese people will defend their territory and sovereignty and absolutely will not permit encroachment by foreign governments. Attlee said that the People's Liberation Army «would be prepared to allow the ship [the Amethyst] to proceed to Nanjing, but only on condition that it should assist the People's Liberation Army to cross the Yangzi». Attlee lied. The People's Liberation Army gave no permission to the Amethyst to proceed to Nanjing. The People's Liberation Army does not want the armed forces of any foreign country to help it cross the Yangzi or to do anything else. On the contrary, the People's Liberation Army demands that Britain, the United States, and France quickly withdraw their armed forces - their warships, military aircraft, and marines stationed in the Yangzi and Huangpu Rivers and other parts of China from China's territorial inland waters, seas, land, and air and that they refrain from helping the enemy of the Chinese people to wage civil war. The Chinese People's Revolutionary Military Commission and the People's Government have so far not established diplomatic relations with any foreign government. The Chinese People's Revolutionary Military Commission and the People's Government will protect those foreign nationals in China who are engaged in legitimate pursuits. They are willing to consider the establishment of diplomatic relations with foreign countries; such relations must be based on equality, mutual benefit, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and, first of all, on no help being given to the Nationalist reactionaries. They will tolerate no act of intimidation by any foreign government. A foreign government which wishes to consider establishing diplomatic relations with us must sever relations with the remnant Nationalist forces and withdraw its armed forces from China. Attlee complained that the Communist Party of China, having no diplomatic relations with foreign countries, was unwilling to have contacts with the old diplomatic personnel of foreign governments (consuls recognized by the Nationalists). Such complaints are groundless. In the past few years, the governments of the United States, Britain, Canada, and so on, have helped the Nationalists to oppose us. Can Mr. Attlee have forgotten this? Can it also be that Mr. Attlee does not know which country gave the Nationalists the Chongqing,³ the heavy cruiser which was recently sunk?