Hankow, Feb. 1.
In view of the negotiations now opened by General Chiang Kai-shek With the Communist party concerning eventual collaboration between e latter and the-Kuomintang, a Trans-Ocean representative asked one of the leading members of the Communist party, Chou En-lai, for his opinion on the situation.
Chou En-lai declared that since the beginning of the hostilities with Japan the Communist party had closely collaborated with the Kuomintang, as security against foreign aggression was the essential condition of China's national existence. For this reason the Communist party resolved to do everything possible to strengthen the national resistance to Japan, "The Communist party, he went on, would not be dissolved but it had voluntarily undertaken to reorganize the Red Army as an integral part of the Chinese national army, The Communist party had recognized that in the hour of peril the life of the Chinese nation could only be preserved by a union of all sections of the population and therefore it had decided to work under the leadership of the Kuomintang, Chou En-lai recalled that ten years ago the Kuomintang and the Communist party had entertained the friendliest relations, which meanwhile had been disturbed by the failure of the Kuomintang to realize its social and political programme, Both parties were, however, equally interested in seeing China emerge successfully from the war, and in establishing a democratic republic, Political Part Chou En-Lai stressed that after the war the Communist party would be willing to play the political part to which it was entitled in a democratic regime. He expressed confidence that the ce-operation between Kuomintang amd Communist party would be continued after he and voiced the hope that such ce-ope tion would lead to a reconstruction of the Chinese state on stronger foundations.
Referring to these statements of the Communist leader, a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Communist party, in a manifesto issued lost July, had renounced its policy of acquiring power in China by force and of confiscation of private property, It hat also renounced the organization of a separate Red Army and on this basis ce-operation with the Kuomintang had been possible, The spokesman added that, on condition that the supremacy of the Kuomintang be recognized, the latter "would be prepared to grant equality of rights to the Communist party in the future, provided the Communists remained within the bounds of legality.—Trans-Ocean,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.