Nov. 28, 1978

"People's Daily" (Renmin Ribao), p.1

Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping, meeting with American and Japanese friends, points out:

Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought is the guiding ideology for the achievement of the Four Modernizations

The Party Center with Chairman Hua as leader is unified and unanimous in complete confidence regarding the achievement of the Four Modernizations

Party Central Committee approves Beijing Municipal Committee decision on Tiananmen Incident. Mandatory correction of errors is a display of our confidence

BEIJING Nov 27 (Xinhua): State Council Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping, meeting this morning with American columnist Robert Novak, speaking of our country's achievement of the Four Modernizations, said that Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought is the guiding ideology for the achievement of the Four Modernizations.

Vice Premier Deng said Chairman Mao's great historical merits were difficult to put into words, and that in China everybody understands "without Chairman Mao there would be no New China." Deng said that in the process of achieving the Four Modernizations we must be adept at grasping and applying Mao Zedong Thought in a complete and correct manner. Our country's political life should be vibrant and energetic, with ease of mind.

During the meeting, Vice Premier Deng also answered questions from Novak on current international developments and Sino-American relations. Also present were Ministry of Foreign Affairs News Division Director Qian Qichen and Deputy Head of the Department of North American and Oceanic Affairs Tang Wensheng.

BEIJING Nov 27 (Xinhua): Japanese media report that Deng Xiaoping made some remarks yesterday morning in response to questions about China's domestic developments raised by Japanese Democratic Socialist Party committee chief Sasaki Ryosaku.

Vice Premier Deng said China's domestic developments are being closely followed all over the world. He said China is stable and united at present, with all intently focused on the Four Modernizations, from the central down to the local. The Party Centre with Chairman Hua as leader is unified and unanimous in complete confidence regarding the achievement of the Four Modernizations.

Answering a question about the Tiananmen Incident, Vice Premier Deng said the past decision on the nature of the incident was wrong. Recently the Beijing Municipal Committee issued a decision on the Tiananmen Incident, affirming as revolutionary the broad masses' actions in commemoration of Premier Zhou and against the Gang of Four. This decision has received the approval and agreement of the Party Centre, it is the Centre's decision. It could be said that this was the common wish and unanimous joint decision of the entire party, entire army and the entire people.

He said Chairman Mao consistently advocated mandatory correction of any errors, and the Tiananmen Incident was an incorrectly judged case that must be corrected as a matter of course. It is not only the Tiananmen Incident, if some problems have been handled incorrectly, they must also be righted, for the mandatory correction of any errors is a display of our confidence. Only then can the whole country's people have ease of mind, look to the future, and concentrate on enacting the Four Modernizations.

On the issue of the masses posting dazibao, Vice President Deng said this was a normal occurrence that shows the stability of our country. He said writing dazibaos is permitted by the constitution, so we have no right to deny or criticize the masses' carrying out democracy and putting up dazibao. If the masses have opinions, let them vent them. The masses' opinions are by no means all deeply considered, and we cannot expect them all to be completely correct. This is nothing to be afraid of. Through the experience of the Cultural Revolution the overwhelming majority of the masses have an excellent ability to distinguish right from wrong and an excellent consciousness of the country's fate. The broad masses want stability and unity, and properly take the big picture into account. On some issues the masses have doubts, and some utterances are unfavourable to stability and unity and the achievement of the Four Modernizations, so we should make clear explanations and lead adeptly.