Speech At the banquet given in honour of the
delegation of the Communist Party of China
– Pol-Pot, 1978

Dear Comrades, Today, the Delegation of the Communist Party of China and the Government of the People’s
Republic of China, led by Comrade Vice-Chairman Wang Tung-hsing, Chairman of the Delegation, and Com-
rade Deputy Prime Minister Yu Chiu-li, Deputy Chairman of the Delegation, has arrived in Phnom Penh to pay
a friendly official visit to Democratic Kampuchea at the invitation of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of Kampuchea and the Government of Democratic Kampuchea. On behalf of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and the Government of Democratic Kampuchea, we have the great
pleasure and honour to extend to Comrade Vice-Chairman Wang Tung-hsing, Chairman of the Delegation,
to Comrade Deputy Prime Minister Yu Chiu-li, Deputy Chairman of the Delegation, as well as to all comrades,
members of the Delegation, our warmest and deepest fraternal welcome. The visit of Comrade Vice-Chairman
Wang Tung-hsing and the Delegation of the Chinese Party and Government is a continuation of the visits of
high-level delegations which have been successively exchanged between our two Parties and two Governments.
This marks a new and brilliant stage in the harmonious and steady development of the ties of great friendship
and militant revolutionary solidarity binding our two peoples and countries, Kampuchea and China, since
long ago. By coming to visit Democratic Kampuchea, you have brought with you the profound feelings of
revolutionary brotherhood of the Chinese communists and the brotherly Chinese people for the communists
and the people of Kampuchea. This is further evidence reflecting the deep affection that the Communist
Party of China, the Chinese people, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China have always
shown toward the Communist Party of Kampuchea, the Kampuchean people, and the Government of
Democratic Kampuchea.

It is also a new and powerful encouragement for our people and our Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea in
fulfilling their tasks of defending the country, advancing the socialist revolution, and building socialism. Our
Party, our people, and our Government deeply appreciate the sentiments of the Chinese comrades-in-arms
and would like to express our most sincere thanks. Dear Comrades, By coming to visit Democratic Kampuchea,
Comrade Vice-Chairman Wang Tung-hsing and the other comrades in the Delegation of the Chinese Party
and Government have brought us encouraging news about the new and brilliant victories achieved by the
Chinese people in fulfilling their tasks during the new stage of their history, under the correct leadership of
the Communist Party of China, with Comrade Chairman Hua Kuo-feng as its wise leader. After eliminating
the “Gang of Four,” the situation of socialist revolution and construction in China has developed most favorably
and entered a new period of rapid progress. Having successfully concluded the Great Proletarian Cultural
Revolution, the Chinese people of all nationalities, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China
led by Comrade Chairman Hua Kuo-feng and guided by the line of the 11th Congress of the Communist
Party of China, are energetically advancing the three great revolutionary movements: class struggle, the
struggle for production, and scientific experimentation. They have achieved significant victories across all
fields—political, economic, cultural, scientific, technical, and diplomatic. At present, the brotherly Chinese
people are redoubling their efforts to fulfill the noble tasks set forth by Comrade Prime Minister Chou En-lai,
following the directives of Comrade Chairman Mao Zedong, aiming to achieve the Four Modernizations
and transform China into a modern and powerful socialist country, with advanced agriculture, industry,
science and technology, and strong national defense before the end of this century.

There is another fact which has brought us particular satisfaction: the prestige and influence of the People’s
Republic of China are steadily increasing on the international stage. This is the result of China’s excellent
internal situation and the fruit of the revolutionary foreign policy line of Comrade Chairman Mao Zedong
which the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Comrade Chairman Hua Kuo-feng have
consistently upheld and implemented. The visits of Comrade Chairman Hua Kuo-feng to Romania, Yugoslavia,
and Iran, as well as the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, represent major victories
for China’s foreign policy and contribute actively to the defense of independence and peace for peoples and
countries in Asia and throughout the world. Furthermore, what has reassured and inspired people across
the world—especially in the Third World—is that the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Government
have consistently adhered to Mao Zedong’s revolutionary foreign policy, grounded in genuine proletarian
internationalism. The People’s Republic of China has consistently upheld the principles of peaceful coexistence
(Pancha Sila), maintained relations based on strict equality with all countries—large and small—and has
become a model in international relations. The Communist Party of China and the People’s Republic of
China have become a vital source of confidence for revolutionary movements, as well as for exploited
and oppressed peoples worldwide, and for all nations striving to defend their independence, sovereignty,
territorial integrity, and right to self-determination. The firm and principled revolutionary stance and proletarian
internationalist spirit of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Republic of China have earned
the respect and admiration of peace-loving and justice-seeking peoples and countries across the globe,
particularly among the Third World and non-aligned nations.

At the same time, this principled stance constitutes a major obstacle to the strategies of domination pursued
by imperialist and expansionist powers. The People’s Republic of China stands as a powerful bulwark against
aggression and expansion, particularly in Asia and Southeast Asia. For this reason, expansionist powers and
their allies have actively pursued efforts to isolate and encircle China in the region. The racist, barbarous,
and fascist persecution carried out by the Vietnamese against the Chinese nationals, and their policy of fre
-nzied provocations against China along the border, as well as the efforts of the Soviet international expans
-ionists to reinforce and extend their naval and missile bases in Vietnam, fall within the framework of their
anti-Chinese policy and their policy of threatening the Asian and Southeast Asian countries. However, the
adventurist policy of the international expansionists and the Vietnamese has suffered successive defeats
and encountered inextricable difficulties. It is still suffering bitter defeats and encountering more inextricable
difficulties in Asia, Southeast Asia, and in the world. Dear Comrades, We are very delighted at these great
successive victories won by the brotherly and comrade-in-arms Chinese people. We consider these victories
as our own victories. We wish the brotherly Chinese people new and greater victories in their new Long
March under the great banner of Comrade Chairman Mao Zedong, their great leader and educator, and
under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, with Comrade Chairman Hua Kuo-feng as a wise
leader. Dear Comrades, This present visit of Comrade Vice-Chairman Wang Tung-hsing and comrades,
members of the delegation of the Chinese Party and Government, constitutes a great encouragement to the
people and the Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea, who are holding aloft their banner of struggle to achieve
their tasks of defending the country, carrying on the socialist revolution, and building up socialism by firmly
abiding by the position of independence, sovereignty, and reliance primarily on their own forces.

At present, our people are valiantly and arduously struggling in order to fully achieve the plan of building up
socialism for the year 1978 in the fields of agriculture, industry, social affairs, health, culture, teaching, and
education, and in order to further raise the standard of living of our people, although this year our country
has been the victim of severe floods. At the same time, our people have to tackle and oppose the large-scale
barbarous acts of aggression, annexation, territorial encroachment, and the elimination of our race, increas
-ingly perpetrated by the Vietnamese enemy against Democratic Kampuchea. In their aggression against
Kampuchea, since the end of 1977 up to now, the Vietnamese enemy has suffered heavy defeats. Their
strategy of “lightning attack, lightning victory,” aiming at taking possession of Kampuchea, has suffered a
total defeat, and they have been driven into a strategy of “protracted struggle,” which is the most unfavorable
for aggressors. From this fact, their sinister expansionist strategy aiming at swallowing Kampuchea has failed
and has been exposed in broad daylight. The same applies to their strategy of an “Indochina Federation,”
their expansion strategy in Asia and Southeast Asia, and their role as a pawn of the Soviet international
expansionists in Southeast Asia. However, in spite of their strategic defeat in their aggression against Kam
-puchea, the Vietnamese and their masters are still arrogantly, madly, and openly carrying on their savage
aggression against Democratic Kampuchea, in defiance of international opinion. They have not abandoned
their strategy of taking possession of Kampuchea in order to extend their domination over Indochina and
Southeast Asia, in conformity with the broader Asian and global strategy of their master. They have prepared
and are actively preparing their forces of aggression in order to launch a second large-scale strategic inva-
sion against Kampuchea during the dry season. In order to camouflage this plan, the Vietnamese and their
masters have carried out cowardly maneuvers aimed at misleading world opinion and their own people.

But the Vietnamese and the Soviet international expansionists cannot do as they please against the nation
and the people of Kampuchea. In their aggression, they will surely suffer heavier and more ignominious de
-feats than those they have already suffered. The heroic nation and people of Kampuchea, under the leader
-ship of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, inflicted a historic defeat on April 17, 1975, on the U.S. imperialists
and their allies, and secured their independence, dignity, and national honor—even under extremely difficult
conditions. Today, conditions are far more favorable than before, particularly compared with the end of 1977
and 1978. Therefore, the heroic nation and people of Kampuchea will inevitably inflict a total defeat on the
second strategic aggression of the Vietnamese and their masters. The Vietnamese will suffer ignominious
defeats simultaneously in the military, political, economic, and diplomatic fields, both domestically and inter
-nationally. The only and best course for the Vietnamese is to immediately put an end to their aggression
against Kampuchea and accept to conclude a treaty of friendship and non-aggression between Kampuchea
and Vietnam, in the interest of both nations as well as Southeast Asia, Asia, and the world. That is the sacred
wish of Democratic Kampuchea and its people. That is also the wish of the countries and peoples of Southeast
Asia and the world. We believe it is also the desire of the Vietnamese people. Dear Comrades, In the past,
Comrade Chairman Mao Zedong, Comrade Prime Minister Chou En-lai, the Communist Party of China, and
the brotherly Chinese people gave us wholehearted and unconditional aid and support. At present, Comrade
Chairman Hua Kuo-feng, the Communist Party of China, and the Chinese people continue to provide such
support in a lofty proletarian internationalist spirit. On this auspicious occasion, the Communist Party of
Kampuchea, the people of Kampuchea, and the Government of Democratic Kampuchea wish to renew
once again their deepest thanks to the Party, the Government, and the brotherly Chinese people.

Our two parties and our two peoples—Kampuchea and China—have always attached great importance to
the development, strengthening, and flourishing of our great friendship and militant solidarity. Up to now,
this friendship and solidarity have grown stronger day by day and have successfully withstood many trials.
This is because our friendship and solidarity rest on a correct and sound revolutionary political foundation:
mutual respect, reciprocal affection and esteem, equality, sincere understanding, and mutual support. Such
friendship and solidarity are important factors contributing to the defense of independence, sovereignty,
peace, and stability in Southeast Asia, Asia, and the world. We are deeply satisfied with these ties and
will do our utmost to strengthen and develop them further, so that they may become ever more flourishing,
stronger, and everlasting. We are firmly convinced that this present visit of Comrade Vice-Chairman Wang
Tung-hsing and the delegation will make an important contribution to strengthening Kampuchea–China
friendship and solidarity, making it a solid wall capable of crushing any enemy’s adventurist attempts. In
these profound sentiments, we extend our wishes: For the total and brilliant success of the official visit of the
delegation of the Chinese Party and Government For the everlasting friendship and revolutionary solidarity
between Kampuchea and China For the health and longevity of Comrade Chairman Hua Kuo-feng For the
health of Comrade Vice-Chairman Wang Tung-hsing For the health of Comrade Deputy Prime Minister
Yu Chiu-li For the health of all members of the delegation For the health of all comrades present here.