A blog of the History and Public Policy Program
Conversations with Zhou Enlai: The Collection Continues to Grow
25 new conversations between Zhou Enlai and foreign leaders, including Kim Il Sung, Ho Chi Minh, and Gamal Abdel Nasser, are now accessible on DigitalArchive.org
The Cold War International History Project has just translated and published 25 of Zhou Enlai's conversations with other world leaders, including Kim Il Sung, Ho Chi Minh, and Gamal Abdel Nasser.
The documents, obtained years ago from the now highly restrictive Chinese Foreign Ministry Archives, offer an intimate portrait of the PRC’s foreign relations during the Sino-Soviet split and in the lead up to the Cultural Revolution. Although formally declassified, they are no longer accessible in Beijing. A full list of the new translations is included below, and is organized by country/region and in chronological order.
Many more documents from the Foreign Ministry Archives will be translated and published in the coming months, thanks to the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation. The documents will be freely accessible on the Chinese Foreign Policy Database, a part of the Wilson Center’s Digital Archive.
North Korea:
- June 15, 1962: Record of Conversation from Premier Zhou's Reception of the Delegation of the North Korean Supreme People's Assembly in Shenyang.
- September 30, 1962: Record of Conversation from Premier Zhou Enlai’s Reception of Korea-China Friendship Association Delegation.
- April 18, 1964: Memorandum of Conversation between Premier Zhou Enlai and the Korean Cultural Delegation.
- April 28, 1964: Record of President Liu’s Meeting with Pak Se-chang, the New Korean Ambassador to China.
- April 28, 1964: Record of Premier Zhou Enlai's Meeting with Pak Se-chang, New Ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to China.
- August 6, 1964: Record of Conversation from Premier Zhou's Reception of the North Korean Ambassador Pak Se-chang.
- April 16, 1965: Minutes of the Conversation between Premier Zhou Enlai and Premier Kim Il Sung.
- April 19, 1965: Minutes of Conversation between Premier Zhou Enlai and Premier Kim Il Sung.
- September 9, 1965: Conversation between Chairman Liu Shaoqi and Premier Zhou Enlai and Charge d'Affaires Jeong Bong-gyu at the 17th National Day Reception held at the North Korean Embassy.
Indochina:
- December 5, 1960: Record of Conversation from Premier Zhou Enlai's Reception of the Vietnamese Government Economic and Trade Delegation led by Vice Premier Nguyen Duy Trinh).
- January 31, 1961: Record of Conversation from Premier Zhou Enlai's Reception of the Vietnamese Government Economic and Trade Delegation led by Vice Premier Nguyen Duy Trinh .
- January 31, 1961: Record of Conversation from Premier Zhou Enlai’s Reception of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Duy Trinh.
- September 30, 1962: Record of Talks from the Premier’s Meeting with the Delegation of the National Front for the Liberation of Southern Vietnam).
- June 3, 1963: Record of Conversation from Premier Zhou Enlai’s Reception of Ambassador to Cambodia Sisowath Sirik Matak.
- July 1, 1964: Record of Zhou Enlai’s Reception and Conversation with Workers Party of Vietnam Central Committee Cadres Delegation.
- June 15, 1965: Record of Conversation between Premier Zhou Enlai and Chairman Ho Chi Minh.
Indonesia:
Soviet Union:
Pakistan:
Egypt (United Arab Republic):
- June 21, 1965: Minutes of the Second Meeting between Premier Zhou Enlai and President Nasser.
- June 21, 1965: Minutes of the Third Meeting between Premier Zhou Enlai and President Nasser.
- June 22, 1965: Minutes of the First Meeting between Premier Zhou Enlai and President Nasser.
- October 20, 1965: Record of Conversation from Premier Zhou Enlai's Reception of Zakaria El-Adly Imam, Ambassador of the United Arab Republic (UAR) to China.
- December 19, 1965: Record of Conversation from Premier Zhou's Reception of UAR Deputy Prime Minister Aziz Sedky.
Algeria:
The PLO:
Multilateral:
- March 1, 1964: Cable from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, 'Situation of the Premier's Visit to Three West African Countries'.
- August 3, 1964: Comrade Zhou Enlai, Comrade Peng Zhen Receive Tran Tu Binh, Vietnam’s Ambassador to China; Nesti Nase, Albania’s Ambassador to China; and Pak Se-chang, Korea’s Ambassador to China.
About the Author
Charles Kraus
Charles Kraus is the Deputy Director of the History and Public Policy Program at the Wilson Center.
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History and Public Policy Program
The History and Public Policy Program makes public the primary source record of 20th and 21st century international history from repositories around the world, facilitates scholarship based on those records, and uses these materials to provide context for classroom, public, and policy debates on global affairs. Read more
Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. Read more
North Korea International Documentation Project
The North Korea International Documentation Project serves as an informational clearinghouse on North Korea for the scholarly and policymaking communities, disseminating documents on the DPRK from its former communist allies that provide valuable insight into the actions and nature of the North Korean state. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. Read more
