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12
The
PLAIN TRUTH
October
1971
the new treaty could open the door to a time of unprece–
dented calamity in Asia.
•
New Balkan Axis m
" Powder Keg of Europe
11
?
A new Communist - but anti-Soviet - bloc in South·
eastern Europe? The meo in Moscow are deeply concerned
over such a possibility.
China's Premier Chou En-lai is reportedly planning a
visit to tbe Balkan capitals of Romanía, Yugoslavia and Al·
bania sometime this fall as an assuraoce of growing Peking
support for their maverick governments.
The projected visit was reported by the official Hun–
garian government newspaper
Magyar Hirlap
whicb fully
supports Moscow in its feud with Peking. In an editorial, it
warned ominously against the "extremely dangerous situ·
ation" that could be created by a "Tirana-Belgrade-Bucharest
axis." Peking's involvement in the strategic Balkan península,
it exdaimed, has the overtones of an "anti-Soviet edge."
The Hungarian broadside carne on the eve of a nine-day
excursion to Romanía of a team of Chinese military officials.
The Peking Delegation arriving from Albania was treated
with exceptional warmth. They were even taken oo a cruise
of the Black Sea - aloog the Romanian Coast, but neverthe–
less, in a sea the Russians have considered their own "prívate
lake."
The Balkan península, gateway to the Adriatic and east·
ern Mediterranean waters, has been called the "powder keg of
Europe." The llames of World War I ignited in what is now
Yugoslavia.
The visit of Chou -
oc
possibly another higb ranking
Chioese official - would come as a result of Romanian Presi–
dent Nicolai Ceausescu's visit to Peking in June. The tough,
independent Romanian leader recently talked witb Chairman
Mao Tse-tung. A Chioese news source described tbe talks as
"full of expressions of the militant unity of the two parties,
two countries and two peoples." Ceausescu won a formal
Chinese promise to support the Romanian people in their
"just struggle" to safeguard their cherished "oatiooal inde·
pendence and state sovereignty."
Uotil recently, Peking's ooly true ally in Europe has
been tiny, introverted Albania, which has had its own dis–
putes and grudges with neighboring Communist states.
Tensions, however, betweeo Albania and Yugoslavia –
whicb has a sizeable Albanian minority - have been lessen–
ing of late.
Romanía also has recently greatly improved its relations
with Albania which officials in Bucharest describe as now
beiog "extremely good."
To round out the picture of a "new Balkan bloc," Ro–
manía and Yugoslavia have developed close consultation with
each other in all fields - political, economic and military.
Althougb neither side has said so publidy, there are, reports
the
Los Angeles Times,
"strong indications that tbese two
Balkan neighbors have made definite contingency plans for
joint action in the event the Soviet Union should launch a
military attack against either of them."
•
China
1
s Chief Obsession
Japan appears surprised and somewhat confused over
charges of militarism and territorial ambition leveled by its
big neighbor, Communist China.
The charges have come almost to domínate recent state·
ments emanat ing from Peking. This was underscored again
early in August by none other thao Premier Chou En-lai him–
self. Chou's anxiety over Japan's future role in Asían and
world affairs surfaced continually during an uoprecedented
five-hour intecview with James Reston, vice president and col·
umnist of the
New York Times.
Premier Chou supported bis contentions of militadsm by
showing Reston examples of Japanese films glorifying mili–
tary duty. Chou also expressed his fears of the small right–
wing "prívate army" groups that have surfaced in Japan.
"The militaristic movement has to be nipped soon," he told
Reston.
Mr. Chou, obviously worried about the Japanese getting
out of hand, was asked why he was so eager to get cid of the
United States-Japanese security treaty, which has been a
restraining force on Japan, particularly in the nuclear field .
The Premier rejected that as "a forced argument."
Despite the treaty,
he
maintained, "Japan with her present
industrial capabilities is fully able to produce al! the means of
delivery."
"She is able," he said, "to manufacture ground-to-air
missiles, ground-to-ground missiles and sea-to-ground mis–
siles. As for bombees, she ís all the more capable of manufac–
turing them. The only thing Jacking is the nuclear warhead."
"Japan's output of nuclear power is increasing daily," he
added. "The United States supply of enriched uranium to
Japan is not enough for her requirement, so she is now
im·
porting enriched uranium from other countries. And so, her
nuclear weapons can
be
produced readily."
Chou En-lai also talked about the immense suffering hís
country went through in World War 11 at the hands of the
Japanese. Memories like these die hard.
In the wake of the wide publicity given Chou's state·
ments, the cbief Cabinet secretary in Japan, Noboru Take–
shita, said members of the Japanese government "feel
extremely regretful" that the Chinese leader assailed Japan so
severely.
"We really can't understand Me. Chou En-lai," said a
Foreign Ministry official, a bit plaintively. "We are rather
surprised that he is worried and concerned over what he con·
siders Japanese militarism. He seems to link economic expan·
sioo and militacism. We never dream of such things as
control of Formosa and Korea again."
Japaoese officials from Prime Minister Eísaku Sato down
have denied there is any basis for such charges of militarism.
They point to Japan's "no war" constitution, its stand against
nuclear weapons and limitatioos on its self-defense forces.
But, the bigger Japan becomes economically, the more
difficult it will be to convince China of its peaceful
inteotions.