invasion of Vietnam - begun on Feb 30th - and pulling out their troops.
Why did they send them in, in the first place? What reperassions will this have? Below, Mike Strange answers these questions.
On February 20th, Chinese armed forces swept into North Vietnam. The official reason for the invasion ions' by the Vietnamese into reason was given by leading Chinese Stalinist Teng Hsiao-p'ing during Washington inorder to strengthen ties with US the fact that Vietnam needed to be 'punished' for its part in the overthrow of the bloody Pol Pot regime Talk of 'punishing' the Vietnamese did not go down amiss with China's new-found allies in regime has found it expedient 'condemn' the invasion & call for Vietnamese troops from Cambodia and Chinese troops from Vietnam", But Washington's attemptto strike a pose of benevolent 'neutrality' is meant entirely for public consumpThe Carter regime knew of Chinese intentions some time before and assured Teng that the 'operation' would in no way undermine the anticipated profitable trade between the two countries.
To reveal the US administration's real attitude towards the Chinese invasion, one has only to compare its calm reaction in recent days to its hysterical response in January government stridently condemned Hanoi for aiding the insurgents and declared its refusal to even discuss normalising relations with Hanoi until its troops Washington's unofficial 'approval' of the Chinese invasion is not stems from the pleasure at seeing growing discord among the workers states. More important, however, it fits into the long term anti-Vietnamese campaign US Imperialism has been conducting for some time now.
Ever since it was forced out of Indochina in 1972, US Imperialism has sought to economically strangle the Vietnamese revolution. It refused to accept Vietnam's modest $4.75 billion dollars claim to repair the damage from nearly ten years barbaric bombing and On March 24/25 at City University, the 1979 Socialist Feminist annual conference will take place.
The first day will be devoted to discussing the general activities socialist feminists are In -rolred in. This will be brokers On March 16th, Chinese officials announced they were ending their turned down any idea of 'diplomatic!
This campaign intensified last year in retaliation to the series of revolutionary measures that swept away the last remnants of capitalfrom South Vietnam and under a single planned economy. They obviously feared that this revolutionary impetus could set the masses in neighbouring Thailand and Kampuchea into motion. Military Backing paralleled by attempts to militarily strengthen the brutal rightwing 8th) reported the Chamanand as saying that "The US has agreed to speed deliveries of response to the continued fighting General Kriangsak was also article, that "The US has reassured us and given us confidence that if the situation around us escalates, the US will not stand idly by".
It was not just Thailand but the Kampuchea that was also seen as a vital counter-balance against the 'spread' of the Vietnamese revolution. As the Far Eastern Economic Review (Nov. 8th) put it, Australian government believed that ".. it is essential to preserve (Kampuchea) as an independent buffer between non-communist Thailand and Communist Vietnam.
It was for this reason that every major imperialist power lined behind the bloody Pol Pot regime during the civil war in Kampuchea last month. It is also for this reason that Thailand is now providing a refuge and base of military operations for the remnants of Pol Pot's army in its clashes with the new Kampuchean government.
It is only against this background imperialist-inspired campaign against the Vietnamese revolution that the Chinese invasion can be understood. Ever since Chairman Mao 'clinked' champagne glasses with Nixon 7 years ago, Peking has increasingly viewed the Vietnamese revolution as 'de-stabilising' factor on its borders and an obstacle to improved economic and diplomatic Socialist Feminist Conference uction.
The second day will, drawing on the political ideas emerging on Saturday, be devoted to a more general discussion on socialist feminist politics. Papers should be sent to: Conference D'arnirg Croup. 2- Villa Road, escalation of Imperialism's anti-Vietnam only too anxious to identify with its new-found friends and jump on the This explains their hostility to the expropriations of the capitalists in South Vietnam, using the fact that many were of Chinese national origin to portray the measures as 'racist'. It also explains their military build-up along the Vietnamese borders and Ieng's sabre-rattling in Washington during his recent visit to America.
The fall of the Pol Pot regime last month was clearly seen as a dangerous step forward by Peking. It threatened to de-stabilise the across their attempts to forge ties with US Imperialism umbrella of 'peaceful co-existence'!
obviously designed to help 'contmese revolution and to teach Vietnam - which Teng arrogantly a sharp lesson.
There can be no doubt that China's invasion is restoring capitalism in Vietnam or at offering an opening for a massive influx Imperialist troops. Either of these directly threaten China's aim is, quite simply, to preserve 'stability' on its borders to facilitate its dealings with Dangers Whatever its aims may be, however, the dangers of the invasion are acute. In the immediate sense, they lie in the support given to the rightwing Thailand regime, which may increase its military support for the remnants of Pol Pot's army still fighting on the Thai-Kampuchea border, and the rightwing guerillas fighting the Pathet Lao in Laos.
In the longer term, the danger lies in the cover China's invasion provides for Washington's manoeuvres to advance Imperialism's basic aim of rolling back the advances made by the Vietnamese revolution.
Hands Off!
Defenders of the Chinese and Vietnamese revolutions must demand that Peking unconditionally and immediately withdraw its troods =om Vietnam and end its ...
back the revolution in South-East Asia.
In the deepening revolutionary situation since the February insurrection, the following demands have been raised by Iranian Hebz-e-Kargarene-e Sos, Iranian Section of the Fourth Inter* For the development, and co-ordination of the democratic committees of the toiling masses in the factories and offices, armed forces and in the neighbourThe Committees should be run ed by the toilers and the soldiers, and with all political parties and viewpoints given equal rights.
The objective is the formation of broadly based councils or soviets delegates to fight for the needs, interests, and rights of the masses. * For workers' control of the factories and offices through the workof the enterprises to the workers committees and public, Immediate expropriation of the properties of the Shah and the royal family, and of the banks, oil industry and other key branches of the economy. * Build the alliance between the credit, adequate machines and fertfor the peasants. Access to adequ* Against the attempts of the capitalist government to rebuild the old the rank-and-file soldier s committees should elect all officers and forge links with the workers committees and armed civilians to build an armed force under the control of the soldiers and toilers com* Against the attempts of the government and the Islamic Revolutionary Council to impose censorship and restrict democratic rights. The committees serve as the only guarantee of the protection and extens* Key democratic rights that must be fought for now are freedom of religion and seperation of church and state, equal rights for women, and for the right to self-determination for the oppressed nationalities, including the Kurds, Azerbai* No imposition of a governmentor of a constitution from above. For immediate convocation of a freely elected, sovereign Constituent Assembly to decide these and other questions facing the masses. * No capitalist government can meet the demands and needs of the toiling masses; the opposite is the For a workers and peasants republic, a government based on broad democratic councils of the * For the defence of all the conquests of the revolution against domestic reaction and imperialism. *Workers and Toilers of the world: Come: resides the Irarian Revoiution by demanding that the imperialists keep their hands off Iran!.
Socialist ActionMarch 79 crumbling capitalist state and
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Iranian Trotskyists Raise Demands