[Statement of the Polit Bureau of CPI(ML). From Liberation, June 1989.]

On the Recent Happenings in China

The CPI(ML) expresses its deep concern over the events in China. As reports indicate, a large number of students and innocent citizens got killed in the army operation in Tiananmen Square. Such a tragedy in a socialist country is really unfortunate and we share the grief and shock expressed by progressive and democratic people the world over.

The CPI(ML), however, has also noted that western capitalist countries in general and US imperialism in particular are trying to fish in troubled waters. The USA, in league with certain anti-Marxist and anti-socialist elements in China has been desperately trying to block any negotiated settlement of the issues involved and doing its utmost to pit the pro-democracy movement against the Chinese socialist system and thus to avenge its historical defeat of 1949.

Current reports from China do indicate that the situation there is fast returning to normal and the spate of rumours circulated by western press agencies and uncritically picked up by the Indian media are in most cases mere gossip.

We appeal to the Indian people to remain on guard regarding the ulterior motives of right reactionary forces in India, who, capitalising on a certain Chinese tragedy, are actually aiming at the Indian left movement and are planning to reverse the emerging possibility of a leftward shift in the Indian peoples’ democratic struggles.

We hope that the CPC will now deeply analyse the root cause behind the popular movement for democracy and initiate necessary political reforms to satisfy peoples’ heightened aspirations for democracy. We also hope that China will review the entire gamut of its relationship with the USA and intensify efforts to strengthen unity among the socialist countries.

We are confident that the imperialist dreams of taking China back to the pre-1949 period will never succeed and the Chinese Communist Party and China’s socialist system will emerge victorious and vibrant after the end of the present turmoil.

June 8, 1989