Brothers in Arms (126 page)

Read Brothers in Arms Online

Authors: Odd Arne Westad

Tags: #Political Science, #International Relations, #General, #test

BOOK: Brothers in Arms
11.94Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
How shall we proceed with the trade agreement?

 

page_328<br/>
Page 328
Stalin: What is your opinion? Up until now we have only had a trade agreement with Manchuria. We would like to know what sort of a situation we should look forward to in the future: Will we be signing separate agreements with Xinjiang, Manchuria, and other provinces, or a single agreement with the central government?
Mao Zedong: We would like to have a single, central agreement. But in time Xinjiang may have a separate agreement.
Stalin: Just Xinjiang; what about Manchuria?
Zhou Enlai: A separate agreement with Manchuria can be ruled out, since in the agreement with the central government China's obligations would in essence be fulfilled by shipments made from Manchuria.
Stalin: We would like the central government to sanction and take the responsibility for the agreements with Xinjiang or Manchuria.
Mao Zedong: The agreement with Xinjiang must be signed in the name of the central government.
Stalin: Right, since [a] provincial government might not take many things into account, whereas things are always clearer to the central government.

Other books

La chica sobre la nevera by Keret, Etgar
Force of Fire (The Kane Legacy) by Boschen, Rosa Turner
Getting Garbo by Jerry Ludwig
Dead No More by L. R. Nicolello