Keng Piao's Talk on "A Turning Point in China-U.S. Diplomatic Relations" (Excerpts)

Abstract

Abstract The Soviet Union is no longer the Soviet Union of twenty years ago. But the U.S. remains the same as she was twenty years ago and is one of the two superpowers. The U.S. still maintains a capitalist system domestically, and, externally, continues to accelerate the expansion of its military preparedness and the nuclear race. The Seventh Fleet is still haughtily plying the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. no longer has military bases in Thailand and not a soldier in Vietnam, but she still has military bases in the Philippines, a large contingent of troops stationed in South Korea, air bases in Okinawa, and troops stationed in Europe. The U.S. has declined in military strength in comparison with the past and has thus become less flagrant in her behavior. But she has not changed her aggressive nature. For this reason, we should not only direct the spearhead of our struggle at the Soviet revisionists but also should not miss any opportunity to continue directing it at the U.S. Now we seldom use the term "U.S. imperialism" and use instead "one of the two superpowers." Does this mean that we have discarded the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism and no longer oppose imperialism and colonialism? So far, quite a few comrades still have very nebulous ideas on this question while many fraternal parties do not understand or even misinterpret it. We must carry out educational and propaganda work, talk the matter over, and constantly cite evidence from both sides of the question so as to help everyone understand thoroughly Chairman Mao's revolutionary line in foreign policy. Soviet revisionism and U.S. imperialism have always been the source of war. In the current international situation, this fact remains unchanged.