Cable from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 'Memorandum from the Soviet Union on the Sino-Indian Border Dispute and the Sale of Aircrafts to India'

Memorandum from the Soviet Union on the Sino-Indian Border Dispute and the Sale of Aircrafts to India

[To] All Chinese Embassies and Charge d’Affaires:

Bulletin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs No. 73

On 22 October, the Embassy of the Soviet Union submitted to Vice Minister Zhang [Hanfu] a memorandum from the Government of the Soviet Union in reply to Premier Zhou Enlai’s talks with the Ambassador of the Soviet Union on the Sino-Indian border dispute. The key points of the memo are summarized as follows:

(1) It expresses serious worry about the situation in the Sino-Indian border and says that such a situation is only going to benefit the imperialists and the anti-revolutionary groups in India who always attempt to damage the Sino-Indian friendship, Soviet-Indian relations and Sino-Soviet relations.

(2) It emphasizes the Soviet Union’s perennial stance on the peaceful settlement of the dispute. It says that the Soviet Union fully supports our efforts to settle the dispute peacefully and our constructive proposal to hold unconditional negotiations and mutually withdraw by 20 kilometers. It expresses an understanding of our stance that the McMahon Line is not an established border.

(3) It pleads that the transport aircraft and helicopters that the Soviet Union sold to India “have no military significance” and “will not affect the balance of power.” It also says that this “measure is for our common interest by preventing India from approaching the West.”

Vice Minister Zhang says that what matters is India’s encroachment on Chinese territory while China does not encroach on India’s territory. It must be clearly understood that India is the invader and China has been forced to defend; that India has rejected peaceful negotiations on the Sino-Indian border dispute while China has always insisted on such a peaceful settlement; that India crossed the Chinese border, encroached on Chinese territory and launched full attacks against China’s border defense units while China has been forced to fight back. It is also noteworthy that Nehru used to instigate riots in Tibet and met the Dalai Lama some days ago. Indian governmental officials even claim to support and recognize the exile government of Tibet. It is necessary to clearly distinguish right from wrong.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

25 October 1962