Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

当天晚上举行了盛大的欢迎仪式。1953年10月1日，苏联在北京举办的展览会正式开始。10月2日，中苏双方在中南海颐年堂举行了最高级别会谈。

924 Honeymoon Period

The high-level meetings between China and the Soviet Union have been held several times since 1947. There have been disputes and cooperation.

But this Sino-Soviet high-level meeting can be said to be the most harmonious and the one with the best negotiation atmosphere since the founding of New China.

Because there were no particularly sensitive issues to discuss, the primary focus was on cooperation. Both China and the Soviet Union worked very hard for this meeting. Khrushchev knew he couldn't argue with China during his visit; he had to win over China and gain its support for him and the Soviet Union. Of course, the Chinese side was doing the same.

China needs the support of the Soviet Union.

China's industry, in particular, is currently inseparable from the Soviet Union. Not to mention the vast amount of industrial construction already underway, even future industrial development will require Soviet support in all areas.

The two sides currently don't have many differences in interests, but rather many areas for cooperation. Therefore, this negotiation was a perfect match.

Before Khrushchev came to China, Chinese and Soviet representatives had been negotiating various terms of cooperation. On the Chinese side, Chen Yun, Li Fuchun, and Mao Zemin were in charge, while on the Soviet side, Mikoyan was in charge of the negotiations.

It is impossible that every clause needs to be discussed personally by the Chairman and Khrushchev.

So both sides came up with negotiable terms in advance and then engaged in consultations. Negotiations began in August and lasted for a month and a half, and both sides had basically reached a consensus.

The Central Committee of the CPSU and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China generally agreed on the content of the negotiations and had no principled differences.

Now the Chairman and Khrushchev need to meet and make the final decision.

This is why the high-level Sino-Soviet meeting was held.

So after the meeting began, the atmosphere was unusually good, with people joking around as the conversation progressed. The Chairman and Khrushchev's negotiations were not about details, but more about expressing each other's views and reaching a consensus on the topic.

The first topic of discussion was the issue of Dalian and Lushun. Originally, after Mao Zedong and Stalin met in 1948, the two sides negotiated that the Soviet army would withdraw from Dalian and Lushun by 1952. However, with the outbreak of the Korean War, this proposal was postponed for several years. At the time, China also needed Soviet troops stationed in Dalian and Lushun to prevent the US military from threatening Northeast China. Soviet air defense forces were stationed not only in Dalian and Lushun, but also in other major cities in Northeast China.

But now that the Korean War is over, the problem of Dalian and Lushun is now before everyone.

Some people in the Central Committee of the CPSU disagreed with the withdrawal of troops.

Some in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs even suggested that, according to the agreements signed with the Beiyang and Nationalist governments, the Soviet Union should continue to control Dalian and Lushun. However, Khrushchev understood that this issue of sovereignty would be extremely sensitive for the People's Republic of China. Khrushchev's visit to China was not intended to provoke China, but to cooperate with it. Therefore, Khrushchev persuaded these people. During these two high-level Sino-Soviet meetings, both sides decided to withdraw all Soviet troops from Dalian and Lushun by August 1954, 8.

Then there are some details.

The Prime Minister meant that when the Soviet army withdrew, in addition to leaving behind the base equipment, they also hoped that the Soviet army would leave behind their weapons and equipment, especially aircraft, tanks, artillery, and some Soviet naval ships to China.

Currently, the Soviet army in Dalian and Lushun has 14 troops, including the navy, army and air force.

Khrushchev stated that all equipment could be left to China free of charge, but Soviet military equipment would have to be sold at a discount. This included aircraft owned by the Soviet Air Force and some of the Soviet Navy's warships in Tianlian and Lushun, which would all be sold to China at a discount.

China accepted the proposal.

China's greatest value lay in Soviet aircraft, tanks, artillery, and warships. After discussion, the two sides decided to sell these weapons to the Chinese military at half their factory price.

The subsequent communiqué issued by the two sides read: "In view of the changes in the international situation in the Far East since the end of the Korean War, and taking into account the strengthening of the national defense capabilities of the People's Republic of China, and based on the increasingly solid friendly and cooperative relations that have been established between the two countries, it is hereby agreed that the Soviet troops will withdraw from the commonly used Port Arthur naval base and transfer the equipment in the area to the government of the People's Republic of China free of charge; the withdrawal of the Soviet troops and the transfer of the equipment of the Port Arthur naval base should be completed before July 1954, 7.

After the Dalian-Lushun issue is resolved, the following issues will be easier to resolve.

Next, there's the issue of shares in the companies jointly established by China and the Soviet Union. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the two countries established numerous joint stock companies. For example, the former Sino-Soviet Oil Company, now known as the Xinjiang Petroleum Company, also included the Sino-Soviet Civil Aviation Company, the Sino-Soviet Shipbuilding Company, the Sino-Soviet Nonferrous Metals Company, and the Sino-Soviet Joint Food Company.

The role of these cooperative companies was very important in the early days.

Like Soviet aid projects, these projects provided significant assistance to China. For example, the Sino-Soviet Petroleum Company (Sino-Soviet Petroleum Company) provided significant assistance to China's early large-scale exploration and development of the Dushanzi Oilfield in Xinjiang, including the construction of a refinery. Soviet technology and expert guidance were employed. Relying solely on China's own technology and technicians, large-scale development of the Dushanzi Oilfield would have been impossible in the short term. Thanks to the Sino-Soviet Petroleum Company, China trained thousands of oil technicians and workers at the Dushanzi Oilfield, who became the primary force behind the subsequent Karamay Oilfield.

Compared with the share price of Sino-Soviet Petroleum Company, these trained technicians and technical talents are truly priceless treasures.

The same is true for the Sino-Soviet Civil Aviation Corporation.

The Soviet Union provided hands-on instruction in civil aviation operations for China, training a large number of civil aviation officials and aircraft maintenance personnel. Since the establishment of the Sino-Soviet Civil Aviation Company, it has trained over 550 personnel of various types, including 247 pilots and maintenance personnel.

The Sino-Soviet Civil Aviation Company mainly flies three routes: Beijing-Shenyang-Changchun-Harbin-Qiqihar-Hailar-Chita; Beijing-Taiyuan-Xi'an-Lanzhou-Suzhou-Hami-Dihua-Ili-Almaty; Beijing-Zhangjiakou-Ulaanbaatar (Kulun)-Irkutsk.

In 1952, the company's total profit was about 700 million RMB, which was quite high.

There's also the Sino-Soviet Shipbuilding Company, now in Dalian, which later became the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. For several years, the company repaired warships for the Soviet Far East Navy and produced barges and small transport vessels. The shipyard is now capable of overhauling 3700-ton vessels and building 883-ton barges and 1200-kilowatt (-horsepower) ocean-going tugboats. The company now employs over people.

Furthermore, this shipyard serves as a training base in Northeast China. Many of the workers currently working in the industrial parks under construction in Northeast China were trained at this shipyard and then transferred there. The number of skilled workers trained in this area alone exceeds 1300.

In 1952, the shipyard's net profit exceeded 200 million RMB.

It can be said that after the founding of the People's Republic of China, these cooperative companies have flourished. Khrushchev's transfer of all Soviet shares in these companies to the People's Republic of China was actually a win for China. With the development of China's economy in recent years, these companies have been expanding in size, assets, and profits. If the cooperation continues, their assets will be even larger in a few years, and profits are estimated to reach tens of millions of rubles. The Soviet Union owned half of each of these companies.

But in order to express his sincerity, Khrushchev transferred all the shares of these companies to China.

This is the second item.

Third, in order to strengthen ties with China, the Soviet Union sent personnel to help China build railways in Lanzhou, Urumqi, and Almaty. China had already begun construction of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, and work had already begun in Lanzhou.

But there are also many difficulties.

The geographical environment of the Northwest is very complex.

Khrushchev knew that China was currently facing difficulties in constructing the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway. Therefore, he offered to send a team of Soviet experts to help China build the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway. He also hoped that the railway would be built all the way to Almaty and connected to the Soviet railway.

Then the combined transport of China-Mongolia Railway, China-Soviet Railway and Mongolia-Soviet Railway was organized.

Currently, there is a railway linking China, Mongolia, and the Soviet Union that passes directly through Mongolia. This is the China-Mongolia Railway, which is currently under construction, connecting Suiyuan to Ulaanbaatar, Mengshe. Combined with the Mongolia-Soviet railway, the route from Northeast China, which used to pass through Manchuria, will be shortened by over 1000 kilometers.

Khrushchev believed that Sino-Soviet relations were developing closely, with frequent goods exchanges. He believed that relying solely on the Northeastern route would be insufficient to meet future needs. Therefore, he envisioned connecting the China-Mongolia Railway and the Mongolia-Soviet Railway, thereby uniting the three to enhance the flow of goods.

China certainly supports it.

The Soviet Union possesses extensive experience in railway construction. With Soviet support, many of the technical challenges of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway could be overcome. Furthermore, with the growth of Sino-Soviet trade, rail transportation is becoming increasingly important. If the railway could be connected through Mongolia to the Soviet Union, it would greatly enhance trade between the two sides.

Item 4: Accept China’s request.

China requested the Soviet Union for fertilizer plants and chemical fiber plants.

China's stance is clear. China has a large population and needs food and clothing. If China, a major socialist country, can't even provide for them, it would be a laughingstock. If the world sees a major socialist country like China struggling to provide for them, how can the global communist movement flourish? How can you believe in the superiority of the socialist system and how can you encourage others to advance the communist movement?

Therefore, China needs to solve the people’s food and clothing problems as soon as possible.

An important goal of the First Five-Year Plan was to solve China's food and clothing problems, and China needed the help of the Soviet Union.

After several rounds of consultations between the two sides, the Soviet Union finally agreed to China's demands.

苏联帮助中国在全国各地建设5家年产量5万吨合成氨,7万吨尿素的化肥厂。至于中国要求的年产量10万吨合成氨和15方吨尿素的大型化肥厂，苏联表示这样的天型化肥厂不适合中国现阶段发展。其实目前苏联自己都很难解决这种大规模的合成氨和尿素的化肥厂技术难题。

But the Soviet Union also wanted to save face.

Of course, it was impossible to directly address these technical challenges, as they themselves were also facing difficulties. Therefore, they told China not to aim too high and to start by laying the foundation. In addition to these five companies, the Soviet Union was also willing to help China build two fertilizer plants with an annual production capacity of 7.5 tons of synthetic ammonia.

In terms of time, the Soviet Union was willing to resolve all the issues before 1957.

At the same time, China was helped to build four man-made fiber factories, namely nylon, two viscose staple fiber factories and one viscose filament factory, as well as four large chemical fiber factories. This was proposed by the Ministry of Textile Industry to develop man-made fibers.

When Zeng Shan was Minister of the Ministry of Textile Industry, he proposed the slogan for the textile industry: "Develop both natural and chemical fibers together." However, among chemical fibers, the Ministry of Textile Industry focused on developing man-made fibers, as synthetic fibers were a relatively distant technology for China.

Currently there are only two man-made fiber factories in China.

However, the technical capacity was too low and the pollution was too severe, so production was intermittent. The slogan of "developing natural and chemical fibers together" was put forward because natural fiber and grain cultivation competed for arable land.

China's population is too large. If all natural fibers were used, it would take up too much arable land. This, in turn, would conflict with China's food security. To resolve this contradiction, the only option is to vigorously develop chemical fibers.

However, among chemical fibers, man-made fibers currently have relatively low technical requirements and can be quickly obtained by China.

That's why China proposed to the Soviet Union to help China build a man-made fiber factory.

In addition to agreeing to help build China's artificial fiber factory, the Soviet Union also expressed its willingness to act as a matchmaker between China and East Germany.

China exchanged canned pork, including canned raw pork, canned braised pork, canned luncheon meat, sausages, etc., plus agricultural products such as soybeans, for Germany's help in building two viscose filament and viscose staple fiber factories in China.

The Soviet Union was willing to act as a matchmaker between China and East Germany, partly to satisfy China's demands and partly because, after the June 617 Incident, the Soviet Union realized that East Germany's living standards needed to improve, otherwise similar incidents would occur again.

Compared with other socialist countries, East Germany was at the forefront of the Cold War.

The Soviet Union cannot afford to be laughed at.

The same Berlin, one capitalist and the other socialist. The socialist Berlin ended up being impoverished, a direct slap in the face of the Soviet Union. So the Soviet Union prepared to improve life in East Germany. China offered pork and other agricultural products in exchange for East Germany's aid in building a chemical fiber plant, killing two birds with one stone.

China was very satisfied with the Soviet Union's willingness to assist in the construction of fertilizer and chemical fiber plants.

Item 15: The Soviet Union is willing to once again provide China with a long-term, low-interest loan of 12 billion rubles for a period of years.

The interest rate remains at 1%.

It will take another 1958 years from 15.

This kind of interest and this kind of repayment time are almost free.

Of course, these Soviet loans weren't direct cash payments. China was supposed to use the money to purchase Soviet goods. China asked the Soviet Union to help it build its second automobile plant.

After Chairman Mao visited the Soviet Union in 1948 and signed a cooperation agreement with Stalin, construction of FAW Junguang began in Changchun in June 1950. In May of this year, the first Jiefang truck rolled off the assembly line at FAW Changchun, becoming the second car manufactured in New China.

So the central government decided to build the second automobile plant.

The current location is Changsha, Hunan. However, with China's current technological capabilities, a second automaker is simply not feasible. After all, FAW Changchun has only just begun production, and China's technical personnel have yet to fully master the technology. It would take FAW's technicians several to ten years to fully master the technology.

Therefore, the Second Automobile Works still needed the support of the Soviet Union.

This time Khrushchev was willing to give China such a large long-term preferential loan, and China naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to build the Second Automobile Works. Of course, another reason was that the army needed to be downsized again.

The downsized troops need to be resettled.

In addition to a group of cadres who will be sent to other units after training, so many soldiers also need to be resettled.

So the Chairman meant to transfer an entire army division to become auto workers to participate in the construction of the Second Automobile Workers' Park. Khrushchev responded very positively, saying that the Soviet side could fully agree to this.

Item 6: Regarding the atomic bomb.

After negotiations, the Soviet Union agreed to help my country build a small nuclear reactor and train its technical personnel. This negotiation resulted in the signing of a cooperation agreement between China and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union provided my country with equipment and technical information for the construction of a heavy water nuclear reactor and a cyclotron, and also accepted Chinese personnel for study tours in the Soviet Union.

At present, New China has already laid a certain foundation in this regard.

The Ministry of Geology had already begun exploring uranium deposits nationwide in the early years, and had achieved significant results, which would not affect the needs of the next two steps. After Yang Quanwu took charge of the Nuclear Engineering Institute, he used various methods to increase the number of scientific researchers at the Nuclear Research Institute.

The research institute that Qian Sanqiang and his wife established after returning to China only had five people including the two of them.

However, thanks to Yang Quanwu's efforts, the institute Qian Sanqiang oversaw now boasted over 300 researchers and a comprehensive array of equipment. Previously, they primarily focused on theoretical research. Furthermore, with the establishment of the Xi'an Military Engineering Astronomy Institute, they were training a significant number of talented individuals for atomic bomb research.

What China needs now is Soviet assistance in building heavy water nuclear reactors and other plants. Item 7: To support the successful completion of China's First Five-Year Plan, the Soviet Union plans to withdraw some of its military experts and instead send a large number of technical specialists. There are many Soviet experts in China, most of whom are military specialists.

The main purpose is to help China form its navy, air force and professional arms, as well as to serve as teachers in major military academies.

Of course, many others helped China's various military regions and CMC departments with their formalization efforts. However, with the establishment of naval, air, armored, and artillery units, Khrushchev believed that so many military experts were no longer needed. China now needed technical experts more.

Therefore, Khrushchev stated that he would send 8000 technical experts to China within the next five years.

Khrushchev came with real sincerity.

The high-level Sino-Soviet meetings over the past few days made the Chinese side fully aware of Khrushchev's current "urgency." Although Khrushchev was sometimes outspoken, he would say whatever suddenly came to his mind during negotiations, completely lacking the ability to exercise caution.

But Khrushchev's personality did not affect the atmosphere of the negotiations.