Chinese Stalinists play the American card

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China has proposed a 9point peace, plan to reunify with Taiwan.

The offer to the Nationalist KMT (Kuomintang) includes "joint leadership' of a unified China and complete autonomy for the KMT over Taiwan as a special region, allowing retention of its capitalist economy. armed forces, and trade and cultural links with other countries.

Peking insists on only three conditions: the KMT must abandon calling Taisan the Republic of China and agree to be part of the People's Republic of China: They must adopt the 5-star flag as the national embiem: and they must agree ica foreign policy be run == Peking.

Ashes

Tese et ibe must farFa-si Ipsas Peking =•÷. IttE ILS •E E: :zI a =cole I-GEIT IE ==• ={ IE7*• ITI .... •t w: geFase 4== BEg: =E Eres Le KVT suche: the Chinese workers, Chiang Kai-shek, has had his birthplace restored; Peking has offered to allow his ashes to be transferred back to the mainland, and has set study groups to rewrite history by re-casting Chiang as a flawed hero and patriot.

Flight These announcements were made on the eve of October Ist. anniversary of the 1949 revolution which drove the KMT into refuge in Taiwan. And Peking then made a grear fanfare of Octobe: 10ch. anniversar! of the 19: revolution. which is normally only celebrated by the KIT.

The response from Taiman was sai and as expected: The urly war w achiere re-unicatius s to abandor the crucur system: thes declard Br re-unifying. the would not valiose fair bi:

undermine their iegmar!

to rule Tamar - bruge about a flight of capita. and a reruit from Taiwarese opPusto: groups and partes ievourng indeperdence for HE FATC Cre Tazarest COL-WE CE Newsweet readice Parre the Taiwar. Carc by remarking that Peking is 'playing the American card'. Peking aims to influence US imperialism and the large overseas Chinese community, so they in turn will put pressure on Taiwan.

At present the Reagan administration is unable to make up its mind on whether to sell its latest F16 jet fighters to Taiwan.

a strong Taiwan lobere an arms industry seeking lucrative contracts, elements in Reagan's camp who are deeply 'anti-communist' as opposed to simply 'anti-Soviet' and those like Cyrus Vance who oppose upgrading of relations between the USA and Peking for fear of annoying the Soviet Union.

Submarines

Or. the wther hand. chere are stenesis seeking econi Ex peretration of China: tarse air mart to sell arms ii Périce E order to furte: De Jom: ai least a quare: o: ie Sorier l'nWE = subca-tes. ground Erces Ec aracon. and Pti КИТ deas mit is opposidon #eigt: a00eg the contradiciory pressunes Fisca shape US imperialism's foreign policy by undercutting hardliners with its peace offensives.

Despite the wishes of those in the KMT who favour secret negotiations, and its own wish to expand the already very extensive indirect trading between the island and the People's Republic (via Hong Kong), there is little prospect of success. China's postcapitalist social-economic colonial end Tay dom net- and sens u ed by imperialist investment, are basically incompatible.

China's own assessment of its inability to retake Taiwan by force means stalemate.

factors loom on

y Chin Yang

the horizon - the continued rise of the Taiwan working class and opposition groups who threaten the KMT's rule; and the contradictions within China itself, with the reemergence of a sector of rich peasants, and an urban working class fighting against inflation, unemployment, and productivity drives imposed by the regime's economic modernisation policies.

Our task is to publicise and support the struggles of the workers in both Taiwan and China, until they overthrow both the KMT and the CCP and teplace them with a regime genuinely based on democratic workers' and peasants' councils.

As on many other issues, the CLPs were prepared to take a left-wing stand, but were thwarted by the power of the union leaders. The LCI recognises the need to take its campaign into the unions, and in the coming months will be putting its efforts into a Labour Movement Conference on Ireland.

The NEC Working Party paper was passed by Labour conference. Although this contains a commitment to a united Ireland, it is so hedged about that even Don Concannon felt that he could support it!

We can however still force the NEC to continue the discussion by pressing them to implement Resolution : 164 from Richmond CLP, which calls for a one-day conference to discuss policy on Ireland and was referred back to the NEC.

Practical

The LCI is calling on all its supporters to get their CLPs to pass the following resolution and send it to the NEC:

*While welcoming the policy of Irish unity as decided at this year's conference, we recognise that no practical provision is made to realise this policy.

"We call on the NEC to move on Resolution 164, which calls for the holding of a one-day special conference to discuss the question of Ireland and formulate positive policy to go in the manifesto.

"We further suggest that the conference formulates ways of campaigning . to achieve e Labour Party policy Greater London Council.

Labour MPs and others in the Labour Party have added their voices to the baying pack, telling him to 'shut up'.

The issue is not just whether you think Ken Livingstone's remarks were correct or you don't (we do).

For years and years there has been a conspiracy of silence on Ireland in the labour movement. It has oniy recently begun to break down.

Those attacking Ken Livingstone are doing so because a prominent Labour Party member has spoken out and they would prefer Ireland to remain a subject for 'consensus'.

speech on the issue of Ireland, and has issued a petition to the NEC defending Ken Livingstone's right to speak out and calling on the NEC to do likewise.

We will be presenting the petition to the next NEC, and hope to hold a meeting in London in the same week. Further details from me, c/o 15 st Helena House, Margery St, London WC1.

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. Socialist Organiser no 59,0ctpber 72,1981 Pe

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