On February 22 at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow, the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society, together with the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia, organized a solemn meeting dedicated to the contribution of the Soviet Union to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. This is the first of many such events to be held this year, the year of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. These two events occurred almost simultaneously, as Moscow assisted the Chinese Communists in their struggle. And the proclamation of the PRC was certainly not a surprise to Moscow. As Ivan Melnikov, chairman of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society and first deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma, said in his speech, «the Soviet Union has been together with the Chinese revolution for 28 years», helping with weapons, advisors, and training pilots and other military specialists.
The Metropol Hotel was not chosen for this meeting by chance. After all, it was in this building in February 1950 that the Russian-Chinese contacts at the highest level took place. And it was the place where the Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance between the USSR and the PRC was concluded, which became the basis of relations for the next decade and contributed to the formation of the new Chinese state. At the same time, two important agreements were signed, under which China was subsequently given the China-Eastern Railway with all its property, the port of Dalny, as well as a loan for a huge amount for that time — 300 million U.S. dollars.
In the following years, the USSR actually laid the foundations of the Chinese national economy. With the help and assistance of the USSR, more than 200 largest industrial enterprises were built in China, which became the basis for the development of key sectors of the economy. In most cases, the USSR supplied a full set of equipment to build industrial facilities from scratch. Thousands of facilities were built without direct participation of the USSR, but on the basis of design and construction materials transferred to China.
However, there is still a scientific debate about the number of industrial facilities built with the assistance of the USSR. But this is not so important, more important is the fact that traces of this assistance can still be recognized by looking at the outstanding achievements of the PRC in various fields. Assistance was provided in scientific, educational and cultural spheres. A lot of things in the newly created state were done in the image and likeness of the USSR.
Ivan Melnikov paid special attention to the participation of Soviet specialists in the construction of the new China, the number of which is also controversial, but certainly not less than 20 thousand. And more than 10 thousand Chinese received the best education in the USSR for those times. It is not unimportant that among them are outstanding leaders of the CCP and the PRC. Such as Li Peng, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, who graduated from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute. And Jiang Zemin, General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee, had an internship at the plant named after Stalin.
As for specific assistance in creating an industrial base, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Alexei Gruzdev, one of the few professional China specialists in the Russian government, spoke about it in detail at the meeting. Take for example the First Automobile Works, built with the help of the USSR, which not only provided the country with transport, but also laid the foundations of the automobile industry. It was the first such enterprise in China in its history, in the words of Ivan Melnikov, «the cradle» of the Chinese automobile industry. Now FAW has turned into a powerful automobile concern, one of the leading companies of the Chinese automobile industry. Today, trucks under this brand have largely replaced Western brands on Russian roads, and Hongqi executive class cars are well known to Russian car enthusiasts.
According to Gruzdev, the USSR did a lot for the development of Chinese energy and infrastructure. The first large hydroelectric power plants, bridges over the Yangtze River and other facilities were built with the assistance of the USSR.
Now China is the world leader in infrastructure construction. The efficiency of such construction is so high that it could be the subject of study by Russian specialists. Having created a base for the Chinese automobile industry and never becoming an authority in it, Russia could now not only attract Chinese automobile giants, but also use their experience in many ways. Having come to the fore in many segments of the automobile industry, first of all in the field of alternative energy vehicles, they have relevant managerial and design experience.
China, which with Russia’s help has become a leader in the space race, could become a good ally in the development of Russian space program, if both sides had the political will to do so.
However, we can learn a lot from China on the ground as well. For example, with less arable land, China produces 5 times more grain than Russia. Why not to take something from this positive experience?
China has surpassed the USSR in terms of the length of railroads, overtaking Russia almost twice, and is a world leader in the development of high-speed roads, which Russia does not have yet. Why not to learn something here?
When experts say that China will not help in any way for altruistic reasons, that China proceeds solely from its national interests, this is mostly true. However, the USSR’s assistance in the formation of a new Chinese statehood and the acquisition of sovereignty by China cannot be erased not only from the minds and hearts of the Chinese, but also from the current Chinese domestic political context. That is why scientific works are still underway in China, researching specific aspects of Soviet assistance and their impact on the further development of the PRC. A special collection on Russian-Chinese economic relations in 1949–1959, in which Chinese scholars are actively involved, will soon be published. And this will be very useful for both sides, because during a certain historical period it was more convenient for both Moscow and Beijing to forget about these historical moments, many of which could be refreshed in memory.
It would also be worth remembering that China’s nuclear shield, which is now the guarantor of its sovereignty, was also laid with the help of Soviet specialists. As Sergei Naryshkin, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, said, «the USSR’s assistance to China in building the Chinese atomic bomb is evidence of the highest degree of trust between the countries».
Addressing the meeting, Chang Xuhong, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Chinese Embassy, speaking about the Soviet assistance, emphasized that the Chinese revolution and further development of China were inspired by the Russian revolution, and the assistance from Russia extends back to the beginning of the national liberation struggle of the Chinese people in the twentieth century. According to Chang, the PRC’s current successes are due to the development choices made under the decisive influence of the USSR. «The help from the USSR will never be forgotten by the Chinese people», the senior Chinese diplomat said.
By the way, approximately the same notes were heard when Zhou Liqun, chairman of the Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia, who himself studied at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, spoke about the historical significance of the USSR’s assistance to China.
Without delving into this ideological topic, which is not very in vogue with us, we can say that Ms. Chang is not improvising, but only relaying what is axiomatic for Chinese party and state leaders. Understanding these points would help in building relations with the PRC in the future.
The USSR is no longer there, but it continues to provide assistance to China. In the sense that serious scientific centers are working in China to study the causes and consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Union. This is done not out of purely scientific interest, but also in order to avoid fatal mistakes and to prevent the creation of conditions for the similar thing to happen again in China.