HONG KONG: Chinese Premier Chou En-lai has warned the war in Indo-China is posing a serious threat to China and his country had made adequate preparations, the (North) Viet-Nam News Agency reported today [March 9]. Mr. Chou was speaking at a banquet soon after his arrival in Hanoi on March 5 … at the invitation of the North Viet-namese Government and Workers (Communist) Party…. “The three Indo-Chinese countries are China’s close neighbours. By wilfully enlarging their aggressive war in the Indo-Chinese area, the U.S. imperialists are posing a serious threat to China,” the Premier said. “The Chinese government and the Chinese people have already seen through all the frenzies and adventurous nature of the imperialists, and have made adequate preparations,” he added.

China would make all-out efforts to assist the Viet-namese people … Premier Chou said. “The 700 million Chinese people provide a powerful backing for the Viet-namese people and the vast expanse of China’s territory is their reliable rear area,” he said. …[Mr Chou] said: “China and Viet-Nam share the same mountains and rivers, and are close to each other as the lips to the teeth.” The Viet-namese people were waging “a great war of resistance against U.S. aggression,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2021