A NEW CHINA POLICY

...China has also experimented with various approaches to the population problem...

...It would be to the advantage of both parties if more Chinese had a knowledge of English and if more Americans could speak Chinese...

...The decision not to accord diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China was based in part on the belief that failure to extend recognition would somehow inhibit the success of the new regime...

...7. We could prepare for negotiations with the People's Republic of China on mutual problems...

...There are significant findings for them to exchange in the hope that children in both countries may be born to a full life where health, knowledge, and a chance to develop their capacities can be provided...

...we should take the initiative against the mutual ignorance and misinformation between our countries...

...6. We could declare our readiness to join China in projects of mutual advantage and concern...

...We should communicate to the People's Republic of China our willingness to negotiate directly and with the other nations involved on all issues now in dispute between us...

...This does not mean that equitable controls on travel, sojourn, and immigration would not apply, but simply that our relations in these respects would be as they are with other countries...

...Senate on March 25, 1964, Senator J. William Fulbright said: "As we have seen in our relations with Germany and Japan, hostility can give way in an astonishingly short time to close friendship...

...Both for the better security of Taiwan and in order to create a more favorable climate for negotiation, Nationalist occupation should be withdrawn from the offshore islands...

...Whatever the differences may be between the United States and China, they must not be allowed to assume the proportions of a war against or indifference toward the Chinese people...

...It is pressing hard to increase food production, develop and direct the use of national resources for broad public purposes, improve the level of educational and health resources, build industry, and move forward into the front rank of the technologically developed nations...

...support of the Republic of China's attempts at counter-revolution has borne only the bitter fruit of mutual fear and hatred...

...Both have engaged in research and exchange of information with experts of other countries, but the political impasse prohibits direct contact between the specialists of these two countries...

...American public ignorance of contemporary China and Chinese ignorance of us are among the chief reasons for the tension and hostility between us...

...5. We could end our special restrictions on trade with China...

...China invited negotiation on disarmament immediately after it exploded its first nuclear device...

...Our government and mass media have become attached to the term "bamboo curtain" because of its neat parallel to Churchill's "Iron Curtain" and because it suggests that the blame for the absence of communication is China's...

...A second major area of concern is that of world population growth and the resultant pressures and demands upon world resources...

...To be willing to support them through trade and technical assistance is consistent both with human brotherhood and with our long-term national interest...

...3. We could demonstrate our concern for the well-being of China...

...These exchanges would have to be undertaken through the various government - sponsored cultural associations which take the place in the People's Republic of our private voluntary organizations...

...We believe that the American people would respond favorably to such leadership...

...Important advances have been made in the teaching of languages...

...This is dangerous in itself, and it threatens the peace of the world...

...The Nationalist position there, with heavy American military support, remains a standing affront to the Communist government and a chronic source of dangerous tension...

...It has meant that the United States has become a convenient hate symbol in a period of dynamic Chinese growth and development...

...Because we need to understand China at first hand, and because it is wrong to isolate Americans and Chinese from each other, we propose that our government should announce the end of its special restrictions on travel between the two countries...

...the United States has embargoed trade with China under the Trading with the Enemy Act, and has sought agreement of other nations to do the same...

...The garrisoning of more than one-third of the total Nationalist troops on these islands is more of a threat to the mainland than a protection for Taiwan...

...The Republic of China on Taiwan has publicly reported its hostile acts, in order to give some sense of reality to its expressed intent of counter-revolution and return...

...No one can say what the immediate response of China would be to the acknowledgment by the United States of the sovereignty of the People's Republic, but this is an essential step which the United States can and must take if a base is to be laid for relationships less dangerous and potentially more effective than the present mutual isolation...

...Both nations must negotiate bilateral and multilateral agreements dealing with shared opportunities and problems including, most urgently, agreements to ban nuclear testing...

...Despite occasional U.S...

...It has impaired the capacity of the United Nations to deal effectively with problems affecting world peace and involving the government of almost a fourth of the population of the earth...

...Although the immediate prospect for large-scale exchanges remains dim, there are steps which the United States could conceivably take, either by itself or in cooperation with the Chinese, to encourage the pooling of knowledge and resources...

...The use of these islands as bases for attacks on Communist shipping or for raids on the mainland is not consistent with Nationalist or American security...

...For the United States to take the initiative in calling a halt to warlike attitudes and warlike measures against China would jeopardize no valid interest and would open the way for other constructive steps...

...support of Chiang Kai-shek have been expressions of hostility described as undeclared war or near-war...

...We could treat trade with China as we treat trade with the Soviet Union...

...These offshore islands are clearly not part of Taiwan...

...Even if we must act alone in taking the first steps toward a more rational relationship, the present situation is dangerously alienated from reality and must not be allowed to continue...

...disclaimers of responsibility, many of these actions could not have been carried out without U.S...

...refusal to recognize the People's Republic of China and U.S...

...Initiatives taken in this spirit can carry a dispute out of a deadlock and into creative resolution...

...Clearly specified and carefully explained actions that express good will can proceed in the faith that they will ultimately evoke a like response...

...The People's Republic has proved it is not a "passing phase...

...These have included harassment of shipping, attempts to blockade certain ports, reconnaissance overflights, bombing, shelling, and commando raids on the coast, occasional actions by armed bands, sabotage, espionage, and dropping propaganda leaflets...

...has demonstrated...

...It is not necessary to detail the times and places and effect of all of these moves—some of them sporadic, some continuous—in order to understand that there has been a more or less continuous military struggle...

...As Americans we are concerned by the restrictions on individual freedom which the Chinese revolution has imposed, and annoyed by Chinese accusations and self-righteousness toward the United States...

...beauty is a binding and universal force...

...Even India, although regarding itself as a victim of Communist Chinese aggression, still advocates the acknowledgement in the United Nations that the People's Republic of China is the rightful occupant of China's seat in the Security Council and the General Assembly...

...Though this is not ideal in terms of people-to-people exchange, it would be a step in the right direction, as experience with the U.S.S.R...

...What would be significant is that our government would no longer be putting our own importers and exporters at a disadvantage, and our trade policy would no longer give evidence of a hostile attitude toward China...

...Much depends upon one side or the other having the strength, the confidence, and the imagination to undertake initiatives arising out of right principle and good will, and to appeal to the good will and the right principles of the other side...

...The illusory nature of American policy toward China is suggested by the consistency with which the United States since 1950 has based its policy in Asia on the proposition that the government of China is located in Taiwan...

...In 1958, the then Secretary of State Dulles could argue, "The United States holds the view that Communism's rule in China is not permanent and that one day it will pass...

...A good example is language teaching...

...It is questionable whether the quantity of such goods would be significant commercially at least in the initial stages...

...Where solutions to problems depend upon mutual agreement, it is often a temptation for one side or the other to accommodate to a situation of "no solution," blaming the obduracy of the other side...

...By withholding recognition from Pei-ping it seeks to hasten that passing...

...Que-moy, the major such base, is only four miles from the mainland and lies in the approaches of the harbor of Amoy, a major mainland port...

...This near-war against the Peoples Republic of China can no longer be justified on the ground of the "passing" nature of that government...

...It is not impossible that in our time our relations with China will change again—if not in friendship, then perhaps to 'competitive coexistence.' It would therefore be extremely useful if we could introduce an element of flexibility, or more precisely of the capacity to be flexible, into our relations with Communist China...

...It is in the interest of both the Chinese government and the American government to have all the information available from whatever source...

...and, as we have seen in our relations with China, the reverse can occur with equal speed...

...In the light of the eagerness of Japan and our European allies to trade with China, the Chinese might at first consider any advantage in trading with the United States as insufficient to outweigh our value to them as Enemy Number One...

...The call for a more flexible China policy here expressed by Senator Fulbright is being voiced by an increasing number of Americans...

...For example, a newly established International Rice Research Institute at Los Banos in the Philippines is developing a quick-maturing, short-stalk rice plant which will not easily flatten during windstorms...

...But the truth is that we have done our share in raising the barriers...

...A decision to acknowledge and to recognize the People's Republic of China requires a new analysis of all our relationships in Asia and the Pacific...

...The need for communication is urgent...

...2. We could acknowledge that the People's Republic of China is the government of China...

...To recognize the People's Republic of China is a diplomatic act which looks toward reciprocation and an exchange of ambassadors...

...funds or equipment and its tacit approval as well...

...Only if we are ready to discuss problems can we expect the People's Republic to join the community of nations and to be subject, as we are, to developing world opinion, conscience, and precedent which, through the United Nations and through other facilities and agencies, is, in effect, the emerging fabric of world law...

...Moreover, the United States is freer to explore the requirements of a growing world community than is a China involved in the all-consuming fervor of a new nationalism...

...Each would benefit from sharing knowledge on birth control methods, and political antagonisms should not be a barrier to mutually advantageous exchange...

...There would be value in bringing linguistic experts together to discuss means of improving basic communication through the learning of these two very different languages...

...A wealth of mutual enrichment can also come from cultural exchange in music, drama, and the visual arts...

...relations with the People's Republic of China have been hostile: espionage has been admitted...

...U.S...

...Two of the largest and most powerful nations of the world have since 1950 lived largely in isolated ignorance of one another and in an atmosphere of mutual fear and hate...

...Since 1950 and before, U.S...

...The article below is one chapter of that book...

...They have said that they are willing to trade with everyone except the United States...

...It is in the interests of the people of China and also in our own interests that these efforts succeed...

...This is especially true when the differences are complex, when the issues seem to be rooted in conflict over fundamental principle, and where present decisions may affect future status...

...We do not know whether China would stop its virulent attacks on the intentions and the good faith of the United States if the United States accorded China the normal courtesies of international relations, but we do know that China is not likely to change if we do not...

...We need not approve the totalitarian government of China any more than we approve many of the unfree governments now sharing membership in the United Nations, but we should desire the welfare of the Chinese and share their sorrow when disaster or hardship befalls them...

...This is not said with any desire to separate the people of China from their government, but rather to remind ourselves of the limits which men of good will must impose upon themselves and their governments when international tensions become chronic...

...conduct to a great extent conforms to the Chinese Communist doctrinaire view of us...

...Whatever the outcome of any unilateral acts from the American side, some attempt to break the present deadlock is long and dangerously overdue...

...A group of American newsmen authorized by our government to travel in China has been refused entry for many months, but for most of the years since 1949 the restrictions against travel either way have been imposed also by our country...

...If we remain open to the possibility of imperfection on our own side, and assume that there is at least some capacity for good on the other, we can then speak with non-judgmental candor and in hopeful expectation of an eventual positive response...

...We join in this call...

...Broad and varied communication between the two peoples is essential...

...When the People's Republic reciprocates, the United States should actively aid in plans for visits and exchanges of newsmen, scholars, teachers, students, businessmen and their counterparts among China's managerial group, labor union members, professionals, farmers, government employees, representatives of art and culture, and tourists...

...In the case of China and the relationships of the United States to Asia, this kind of approach could stimulate initiatives that could be taken by the United States without requiring at the start the agreement of the Chinese and without endangering the legitimate interests of the United States or of those to whose security and interests we feel ourselves committed...

...If both sides can be freer to learn more about each other, tension and hostility seem certain to decrease...

...It is the strongest regime China has known in modern times and it is growing stronger...

...In the same way that individuals must show respect for each other before there can be genuine friendship, so nations must deal with each other in terms that acknowledge mutual dignity and respect...

...Fuller knowledge on both sides will make better relations possible, and without it the chances of any improvement are poor...

...No other problem is as crucial to China's efforts to raise the economic level of its people...

...If this were done, there is no assurance that there would be any immediate response from the People's Republic...

...A third group of services of mutual benefit would be the sharing of information and techniques in various scientific and technical areas such as water resources and control, irrigation, erosion, soil fertilization, and plant genetics...

...The relatively small local population, fishermen and farmers, should be offered completely free choice of remaining or moving to Taiwan as part of the Nationalist withdrawal...

...Chinese and American experts in such fields should welcome an opportunity to exchange their knowledge in a completely non-political way which would nevertheless contribute both to economic development and to the improvement of relations between our two peoples...

...Few Americans realize that the United States did in fact negotiate with China in 1962, when we became co-signatories with the People's Republic of China to the treaty guaranteeing the neutrality and independence of Laos...

...The differences between overweening nationalism and justifiable national dignity are matters of degree rather than of principle...

...Chiang Kai-shek has pledged again and again his support for sabotage and uprisings on the mainland and is committed, at least officially, to recover control of China...

...Out of our awareness of the interdependence of all, we should make it clear that we are concerned for Chinese welfare, both because it is right to be concerned and because we know that our own welfare and theirs are interdependent...

...4. We could end American restrictions on communication and exchange with the People's Republic of China...

...Success will mean vastly improved conditions of life for the Chinese people—and, if the Soviet Union's experience is relevant, a relaxation of harsh measures of control over the minds as well as the labor of the people...

...Improved education inevitably promises greater freedom...

...Above all, such a new policy direction, even though unilaterally undertaken, would end the ironical and dangerous situation which obtains at the time of this writing when U.S...

...Our attempt to exclude China from the world community has relieved it of the responsibilities of United Nations participation, it has deepened U.S...

...The present Chinese image of the United States feeds Chinese hostility, but it is a warped and perverted image which we should be eager to correct...

...Still another area in which the United States can act is in planning for discussions and negotiations with the Chinese...

...However, let us not give way to anger, for we should remind ourselves that we may often give a similar impression of self-righteousness...

...We are increasingly alone in our hostility, as even our allies (to say nothing of the neutrals and the nonaligned) drop away, believing it is wrong to refuse to deal with China on any level...

...The study was prepared by a working party including Far Eastern scholars, Americans with considerable background in China, and businessmen, all of them members of The Society of Friends.—The Editors...

...The results of its work would be useful to China...

...Basic to China's present development is the commitment to raise the level of life of the Chinese people...

...Each of the policies proposed [here] could be carried out without prior agreement or immediate response from the People's Republic of China, but this would not invalidate the new direction...

...If necessary the United States could exert pressure by declining to provide the necessary military support for the maintenance of the bases there and by offering to support the withdrawal...

...This is possible only if it is not assumed that the truth is all on one side and the evil all on the other...

...Among such initiatives are the following: 1. We could move to halt the military threats and incursions against the mainland by Taiwan...

...When one side or the other adopts an attitude of blaming the other side, the practical effect is to encourage a similar response...

...This is the nature of relations between nations...

...ignorance of China's internal development, and it has allowed China's nuclear weapons capacity to emerge unchallenged and unfettered by international obligations, the burden of which it has not had to assume, thanks largely to the United States...

...the American delegation at the United Nations has organized and led the opposition to the admission of Communist China...

...Actually the reverse has proved to be the case...

...Possibly the most that could happen at first would be a beginning of a three-cornered trade in which we would buy from Hong Kong and other Asian countries goods which had originated in China, and would sell in the same Asian markets goods which were then transshipped to China...

...One of the ablest and sanest presentations on the subject we have seen appears in A New China Policy, Some Quaker Proposals, prepared for the American Friends Service Committee and just published by the Yale University Press...

...But the acknowledgment by the United States that the People's Republic of China is in fact the government of China is only a matter of stating the obvious, and is something our government could do on its own initiative...

...Under any circumstances, we can assume that a change of any sort in U.S...

...In a speech before the U.S...

...Tremendous progress has been made in the United States in recent years in developing birth spacing and control techniques...

...Other forms of communication, including books and periodicals, motion pictures, and television and radio programs should be exchanged freely...

...The resolution of conflict and the achievement of right relationships often depend upon such a desire and willingness...

...Changes in American policy are a necessary prelude to bringing about the kinds of changes Americans would like to see in Chinese policy...

...A more creative approach can often be opened up by either side, even in the absence of agreement, if it wants to produce a change for the better and is willing to explore initiatives which may be undertaken unilaterally as a prelude to multilateral negotiation and eventual agreement...

...The result is that stubbornness on one side reinforces self-righteousness on the other...

...One of the situations supporting the sporadic attacks on the mainland is the Nationalist occupation and massive fortification of the small offshore islands of Que-moy and Matsu...

...policy will produce a changed response from China...