Evening star., 1950-02-16
The Peiping-Moscow Pact

After nine weeks of negotiations in Moscow,
the Soviet Union and the Chinese Communist
regime now have solemnly announced series
of agreements that have the appearance of rep
resenting fair and reasonable meeting of minds
between two equals completely respectful of each
others rights and independence
From the propaganda standpoint, the docu-
ments are by no means ineffective. Among other
things, they would lead the unwary reader to
believe that the Peiping Reds, far from being
mere puppets, have proved to be their own
masters The documents also would seem to
give the lie to Secretary Achesons recent charge
that Russia is attaching" to itself huge segments
of North China.
To begin with, the two parties have pledged
themselves for the next thirty years to a treaty
of friendship, alliance and mutual assistance.
Patterned after similar pacts in effect between
the Kremlin and its European satellites the
treaty obliges the signatoreS to respect each
others sovereignty and territorial integrity and
to refrain from interfering in each others in
ternal affairs. In addition, it commits them to
immediate military cooperation in the event
that either is attacked by Japan or by any
country joining in Japanese aggression.
AS for the subsidiary agreements they in
clude: Cd commitment by Communist China
10 recognize GIle llQepeLQe1lCe Vi OuIeE Null
golia; (2) a Soviet pledge to transfer to. the
Chinese Communists, by date no later than
the end of 1852, "all it's rights in the Changchun
Railway in Southern Manchuria; 90 arrange
ments, also to be carried out no later than the
end of 1882 to withdraw Russian troops from
Port Arthur and place the Peiping Reds in full
control; "a similar but less explicit under
standing on Dairen, with no mention of troop
Withdrawals; and finally (5) $500 million loan
to China
At first glance, most of this may look pretty
good as such things go, but skepticiSm is in
order, not merely because the agreements prob
ably have secret anneXeS, but also because events
in Europe have amply demonstrated that Rus
sia's friendship treaties never really mean what
the words say. Actually, there is every reason
to believe that Peiping is as much a puppet as
ever. Further Secretary Acheson's attaching"
charge still stands on very strong evidence that
independent" Outer Mongolia is already a de
facto Soviet province, that the Kremlin is pene-
trating Snkang and Inner Mongolia, and that
it is sparing no effort-despite the seeming con-
cessions involving Port Arthur, Daren and the
Changchun Railway-to insure it's dominance of
Manchuria, where it has helped itself to loot
valued at several times its $500 million loan.
Undoubtedly both Moscow and Peiping will
make much propaganda out of their agreements,
but informed Chinese are likely to take the whole
business with lot of salt After all, as recently
as August of 1945, Russia signed similar thirty
year treaty under which it recognized the
Nationalist regime of Chang Kai-shek, declared
(before looting it, that Manchuria was an in
separable part of China, pledged itself not to
interfere in the country's internal affairs and
promised the Nationalists moral support" and
military and other assistance.
Thus, as elsewhere in the world, the record
of Soviet words and deeds in China is too clear
an example of systematic faithlessness to war
rant anything but the most cynical kind of
reaction to the new agreements with Peiping
If by any chance Mao Tze-tung and his Com
munist regime think otherwise, they will learn
their lesson in due course