Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

The date of the visit to China has been determined, including the route.

Although Charles de Gaulle's visit to China was in a private capacity, not as a French government official, and his delegation consisted largely of French officials, once China and Charles de Gaulle officially confirmed the date for his visit, it quickly garnered worldwide attention.

The most annoyed were the United States and the Soviet Union.

Although there were rumors circulating that Charles de Gaulle would visit China, the date and time had not been officially confirmed. But now that the date has been officially announced, it means that Charles de Gaulle's visit to China is a done deal.

The United States did not want traitors to appear in its own camp, and of course the Soviet Union did the same. If the relationship between China and France became harmonious, the Soviet Union and the United States, the big brothers in both camps, would not be happy.

Prior to the Battle of the Suez Canal, the United States was furious that Britain and France had acted without informing the United States. This thwarted the United States' original plan to use the Polish-Hungarian incident to strike at the Soviet Union, wasting a great opportunity to strike at the socialist camp.

Now Charles de Gaulle is going to visit China privately without consulting the United States.

Everyone in France is aware of the growing calls for Charles de Gaulle to return to power. If the current cabinet falls, Charles de Gaulle will undoubtedly return as French Prime Minister and restructure the cabinet. How could the United States believe such a person's claim of a private visit to China? From the American perspective, this is just a diplomatic exercise Charles de Gaulle is undertaking before returning to power.

So the US sent people to put some pressure on France. But the French government was too preoccupied with its own affairs to bother with Charles de Gaulle. After all, Charles de Gaulle was in the opposition, so what he did was his business. The Americans also approached Charles de Gaulle.

But de Gaulle was resolute.

Charles de Gaulle told the Americans that he simply wanted to visit Asia, specifically China, and that he had no other aspirations. Whether you believe it or not, I believe it.

So the US proposal was not accepted.

This was true for the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the "Polish-Hungarian Incident" was resolved, Chinese and Soviet representatives worked together in Eastern Europe to appease the Eastern European countries, and finally maintained the stability of the socialist camp.

But it is only superficial stability.

Eastern European countries are still ready to move.

At this time, China, as the second largest country in the socialist camp, would have dealt a heavy blow to the Soviet Union if it had any other ideas. Therefore, the Soviet Union sent people to China to appease China while sternly stating that China must not follow the path of "Tito".

China attaches great importance to Charles de Gaulle’s visit to China, but at this stage it attaches more importance to its relationship with the Soviet Union.

The Prime Minister personally received the Soviet representatives.

The Premier explained that the CCP generally supported Khrushchev's "Three Peaces" theory at the 20th Congress of the CPSU. Therefore, at the Ninth Congress, the CCP proposed the idea of ​​"seeking common ground while reserving differences" and "peaceful coexistence" with capitalist countries.

This meeting with Charles de Gaulle was arranged to accomplish this.

Furthermore, China's meeting with Charles de Gaulle will not affect its relationship with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union will always be the most important element in China's diplomacy. China will be keeping the Soviet Union informed of this meeting with Charles de Gaulle.

He then made it clear once again that China supported the Soviet Union's leadership of the international communist movement and would not betray the socialist camp. He also informed the Soviet Union that the Chairman would personally visit the Soviet Union to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution.

The Chairman also met with Soviet Ambassador to China Eugene.

Made the same statement.

Only after repeated assurances from the Chairman and the Prime Minister did the Soviet Union accept this matter.

Of course, besides the Soviet Union and the United States, many other countries were also paying attention to this matter. After all, this was a meeting between the second largest country in the socialist camp and a major power in the imperialist camp. Who knew what China and France would do with this meeting?

Several major countries that promoted the Non-Aligned Movement publicly expressed their support for Charles de Gaulle's visit to China.

It was under such circumstances that Charles de Gaulle made his official visit to China.

When Charles de Gaulle arrived in Beijing, the Premier, Wei Hongjun, General Chen, and Wang Jiaxiang all came together to greet him. This lineup was enough to show how much China valued Charles de Gaulle's visit.

After arriving at Zhongnanhai, the Chairman, Comrade Xiuyang, Chen Yun, Marshal Nie, Deng Xixian and other members of the Politburo Standing Committee were all there.

China treated Charles de Gaulle as the leader of France.

"I completely agree with what Mr. Mao said. That is, there are no unsolvable contradictions between us, or rather, no fundamental contradictions. Although our two countries have had some conflicts in history, these are all things of the past. China is the only truly great power in the East. Ignoring China is like covering one's ears and stealing the bell. Yet, some countries and some people ignore China's existence. But we in France are pragmatic, and so am I. We will not make that mistake."

After some pleasantries, de Gaulle spoke.

very direct.

Because this time, Charles de Gaulle came to China to improve Sino-French relations and lay a diplomatic foundation for his future leadership of France.

"If there are any differences between us, they are in two areas. One is that we are socialists and you are capitalists. The other is that we support national independence, while France still has colonial issues."

The Prime Minister expressed China's attitude on behalf of the President.

The Chairman's message is simple: there's no need to be afraid of conflicts. They should be brought to light openly so that both sides can resolve them together. Don't deliberately cover up conflicts just to improve relations with France, as if there are no conflicts between China and France.

How could there be no conflicts between China and France?

De Gaulle waved his hand.

He said confidently, "Compared to socialism and capitalism, I believe more in geopolitics. I'm French, and I should consider issues from a French perspective. For France, improving relations with the Soviet Union and China is a very good option for France's political, economic, and military independence."

When interacting with the British, both China and Britain tend to speak in roundabout ways, twisting their words several times, requiring both sides to think carefully before they can understand. But de Gaulle was different. During his visit to China, he offered no such obfuscations.

State your attitude directly.

"I completely agree with this statement. In fact, the independence of a country and nation isn't just pursued by colonized nations. Other seemingly independent countries also need independence. Take South Korea on the Korean Peninsula, for example. It claims to be an independent regime, but everything it does is subject to the Americans. Politically, economically, militarily, and diplomatically, it lacks the slightest bit of independence; it must obey others in every aspect. We used to call such countries semi-colonies, because old China was like that too. Semi-colonial countries also need independence."

The chairman immediately took over.

Support France in their pursuit of independence.

Colonies need independence, and semi-colonies also need independence.

Upon hearing the Chairman's support, de Gaulle's expression brightened considerably. He excitedly said, "Mr. Mao, your words apply to all European countries. Europe may appear independent now, but it's only slightly better than a semi-colony. Europe must have its own independent politics, economy, military, and diplomacy."

"We in China support all countries and nations in their pursuit of independence, and genuine independence."

The atmosphere of the conversation was extremely good at this point.

Charles de Gaulle stated that his goal was to achieve reconciliation between France and Germany, and then improve relations between France and Germany and countries like the Soviet Union and China, so that European countries could break free from the control of the United States and become independent forces with independent diplomacy.

Charles de Gaulle made no secret of his diplomatic thinking and expressed it clearly.

China certainly strongly supports this.

The Chairman was considering how to break up the imperialist camp headed by U.S. imperialism. The best way to do this was to dig out a few countries from within the imperialist camp and tear open the cracks in it.

France is the most suitable.

The Chairman also does not expect European countries and the United States to fall out. As long as the two sides are not completely in agreement, it will be a success for China and the socialist camp.

So both sides had very good discussions on this aspect.

very happy.

Charles de Gaulle not only hoped that China would support his proposal, but also hoped that China could persuade the countries of the socialist camp, including the Soviet Union, to support France's idea. Chairman Mao naturally agreed.

The Chairman assured de Gaulle that as long as France was willing to take an independent path, the entire socialist camp would support France.

After discussing this, de Gaulle said, "The colonial issue is a long-standing one. It's not something France can resolve simply by giving up its colonies. Under the current circumstances, even if France is willing to withdraw, those colonies will be in chaos. So my idea is that France and these colonies find a common ground. We can ease relations and find a mutually acceptable independence plan."

Wei Hongjun scoffed at de Gaulle's words.

Bullshit, find something in common.

In fact, France nominally recognized the independence of these colonies, but the price was that these colonies had to recognize France's privileges there, including political, economic, military, and diplomatic privileges.

How long does this privilege last?

The twenty-first century has not ended.

Economically, the colonies' finances were controlled by the French, and the right to issue currency depended on France's approval. The colonies' key economic pillars were also in the hands of the French. Once they controlled the economic privileges, other privileges were no longer a problem.

But de Gaulle's method was still very successful.

With the exception of Algeria, there were no serious military conflicts in other colonies, and France earned a lot of profits from its colonies.

"France was able to find a path to reconciliation with its colonies, and that is something the whole world should praise."

The contradiction between China and France, when broken down and broken down, is not really a big one.

Including colonial affairs.

To be frank, China has always been anti-colonial and supports the independence of colonized nations and peoples. However, given China's current power and influence, it can only shout slogans. Whether African nations achieve independence is beyond China's control.

In this case, urging France to find another way to make the colonies independent is also the best way at this stage.

So the so-called conflicts are just that both sides are unwilling to take a step back.

Historically, both China and France have established diplomatic relations.

But they were still very arrogant towards each other. Neither of the two great powers was willing to bow down first, so there were almost no high-level visits. Now that Charles de Gaulle was visiting China in a private capacity, it immediately gave China a way out.

Here in China, Charles de Gaulle represents France.

Since he had come first, China would not let him return empty-handed. China has always adhered to the principle of "if you respect me one foot, I will respect you ten feet." Therefore, on many issues, as long as they did not involve matters of principle, President Xi Jinping would not argue too much with Charles de Gaulle.

Therefore, many issues can be discussed smoothly.

For several days in a row.

Chairman Mao met with Charles de Gaulle three times, all discussing issues concerning the international situation.

In a rare move, President Xi Jinping expressed his hope that China and France could establish genuine diplomatic relations. Charles de Gaulle also stated that ignoring a major power like China in diplomacy was problematic.

He also clearly responded to the President that as long as he was in charge, he would definitely promote the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.

Of course, Charles de Gaulle wasn't just concerned with diplomacy. France's most serious problem, besides its diplomatic woes, was its economy. Many French factories were operating below capacity, leading to stubbornly high unemployment.

If this problem is not solved, even if de Gaulle comes to power, he will not be able to keep his position.

Therefore, Charles de Gaulle held negotiations with Chen Yun and Deng Xixian, primarily to discuss whether there was room for further cooperation between China and France. China was very positive about this.

Because France is a major industrial country and an industrial power.

The industrial strength is very strong.

France currently has a lot of important machinery and technology it needs, and China is very willing to cooperate with French industry as long as France agrees.

Chen Yun and Charles de Gaulle made clear statements.

As long as France is willing to cooperate with China, export some machinery and equipment needed by China, and transfer some technology, China is very willing to sign a large contract with France worth at least US$5 million.

It could even serve as a gift for Charles de Gaulle's comeback.

Charles de Gaulle was shocked when he heard Chen Yun and his colleagues' statement. Although de Gaulle had always touted China as a great Eastern power, in the eyes of the West, China was, after all, a backward agricultural nation. But now, Chinese economic officials expressed their willingness to sign a $5 million deal with France.

With $5 million, plus some bank loan operations, France's finance, industry, and commerce will benefit greatly. Don't think $5 million is too little.

With this cooperation, de Gaulle could quickly consolidate his position after returning to power.

But he still didn't quite believe it.

Does China have that much money? Although China has previously collaborated with European countries and imported a lot of machinery and equipment, the scale was still limited, totaling less than $200 million.

In addition to this kind of cooperation, Chen Yun and others also discussed deeper cooperation.

One is to strengthen trade relations between the two countries, so that China can increase its imports of industrial products from France. The other is to explore the possibility of establishing a joint factory.