The Chongqing Negotiation

After winning the war against the Japanese aggression, the Chinese people faced a decision about what kind of China would emerge in the aftermath. The CPC, which represented the fundamental interests of the people, sought to build an independent, democratic and powerful new China. In contrast, the KMT, which represented the big landowners and wealthy bourgeoisie, wanted to wrest the fruits of victory from the hands of the people and to rob them, by means of civil war, of the rights they had just obtained.

In China, the people yearned for peace, not a civil war. Elsewhere in the world, the US, the Soviet Union, and Britain also disapproved of civil war in China. Given this situation, Chiang Kai-shek agreed to peace talks with the CPC. But behind the scenes he was already stepping up preparations for civil war. In August 1945, he sent three telegrams to Mao Zedong, inviting him to Chongqing for a talk on major international and domestic issues.

The CPC, however, had a clear understanding of the situation at home and abroad and of the KMT's plans. In accordance with the people's strong wish for rehabilitation after a long war of resistance, it decided to seek progress and development through peaceful means. At the same time, it would, through the talks, expose the KMT's true intentions, and also make use of the negotiation period to make preparations for any possible changes. So the CPC Central Committee proposed three slogans – peace, democracy and unity – and Mao accepted Chiang's invitation to Chongqing. Meanwhile the people's army was also making preparations for a war of self-defense.

On August 29, 1945, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Wang Ruofei (1896-1946) began negotiating with the KMT in Chongqing. After 43 days, a summary of conversations (the October 10th Agreement) was signed between the representatives of KMT and CPC. The KMT authorities accepted the "basic policy of peace and national reconstruction" put forward by the CPC and agreed to "long-term cooperation, resolute avoidance of civil war, the building of a new independent, free, prosperous and powerful China, and the convening of a political consultative conference." The two sides failed to reach agreement on the legal status of the people's army and the democratic government in the Liberated Areas.

This was a formal document produced through consultation. Its signing postponed the outbreak of an all-out civil war and brought hope for temporary peaceful development.

The Chongqing negotiation and the signing of the October 10th Agreement showed that the KMT authorities had acknowledged the legal status of the CPC, affirmed the need to hold a political consultative conference of different political parties, and made the CPC's political proposals on building a new China through peaceful means known to the general public. A democratic united front was formed, and nationwide movement for peace and democracy was promoted, leaving behind experience for developing the relations of the two parties.

重慶談判

中華民族經(jīng)過浴血奮戰(zhàn)贏得抗日戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)勝利后，又面臨著建什么國(guó)的斗爭(zhēng)。中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨代表全國(guó)廣大人民的根本利益，力圖通過和平的途徑來(lái)建設(shè)一個(gè)獨(dú)立、民主、富強(qiáng)的新民主主義中國(guó)。代表大地主大資產(chǎn)階級(jí)利益的國(guó)民黨統(tǒng)治集團(tuán)，企圖搶奪抗戰(zhàn)勝利果實(shí)，用內(nèi)戰(zhàn)的方式來(lái)剝奪人民已經(jīng)取得的權(quán)利。

在國(guó)內(nèi)，抗日戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)剛剛結(jié)束，要求和平是大勢(shì)所趨，發(fā)動(dòng)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)不得人心；在國(guó)際上，美、蘇、英三國(guó)也不贊成中國(guó)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)。蔣介石鑒于國(guó)內(nèi)外形勢(shì)，在積極準(zhǔn)備內(nèi)戰(zhàn)的同時(shí)，表示愿意同中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨進(jìn)行和平談判。1945年8月中下旬，他連續(xù)三次電邀毛澤東去重慶，共同商討“國(guó)際國(guó)內(nèi)各種重要問題”。

中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨對(duì)當(dāng)時(shí)國(guó)內(nèi)外局勢(shì)和國(guó)民黨的內(nèi)戰(zhàn)陰謀都有比較清醒的認(rèn)識(shí)，認(rèn)為應(yīng)當(dāng)因勢(shì)利導(dǎo)，首先反映人民在長(zhǎng)期戰(zhàn)亂后休養(yǎng)生息的強(qiáng)烈意愿，爭(zhēng)取通過和平的途徑來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)中國(guó)的進(jìn)步和發(fā)展；同時(shí)通過談判揭露國(guó)民黨假和平真內(nèi)戰(zhàn)的面目，爭(zhēng)取時(shí)間作好應(yīng)變準(zhǔn)備。經(jīng)過反復(fù)研究，中共中央決定提出和平、民主、團(tuán)結(jié)三大政治口號(hào)，毛澤東接受邀請(qǐng)赴重慶談判，同時(shí)人民軍隊(duì)作好進(jìn)行自衛(wèi)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的各種準(zhǔn)備。1945年8月29日，毛澤東、周恩來(lái)、王若飛與國(guó)民黨當(dāng)局開始談判。經(jīng)過43天談判，國(guó)共雙方代表于10月10日正式簽署會(huì)談紀(jì)要，即《雙十協(xié)定》。國(guó)民黨當(dāng)局表示承認(rèn)“和平建國(guó)的基本方針”；同意“長(zhǎng)期合作，堅(jiān)決避免內(nèi)戰(zhàn)，建設(shè)獨(dú)立、自由和富強(qiáng)的新中國(guó)”，召開政治協(xié)商會(huì)議等。但在人民軍隊(duì)和解放區(qū)政權(quán)兩個(gè)根本問題上，雙方未能達(dá)成協(xié)議?！峨p十協(xié)定》是以國(guó)共兩黨協(xié)商的方式產(chǎn)生的一個(gè)正式文件，其簽訂延緩了全面內(nèi)戰(zhàn)的爆發(fā)，為戰(zhàn)后國(guó)內(nèi)和平發(fā)展帶來(lái)了希望。

重慶談判及《雙十協(xié)定》的簽訂，表明國(guó)民黨方面承認(rèn)了中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨的地位，承認(rèn)了各黨派的會(huì)議，促使中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨關(guān)于和平建設(shè)新中國(guó)的政治主張被全國(guó)人民所了解，促進(jìn)了民主統(tǒng)一戰(zhàn)線的形成，推動(dòng)了全國(guó)和平民主運(yùn)動(dòng)的發(fā)展，也為國(guó)共兩黨關(guān)系的發(fā)展留下了寶貴的歷史經(jīng)驗(yàn)。