194ring theKorean Wa Shen Zhihua and Yafeng Xia 195 BenegRauo e for Exteme Affairs Lester Pearson.Its purpose was to seek a "basis on which China's Strategic Considerations satisfactory cease-fire in Korea could be arranged (US Departmen of5)When Pan on the Since Beijing had already decided on a policy of crossing the thirty- December hang s tahe oen eighth parallel first and negotiating afterward,Mao wasn't concerned about the US attitude toward the cease-fire resolution.While Zhou egcsionanddoesmLwthtawfeomKoreandTiwanpeacefl ojokeMA50.n01.558 Enlai and Chinese diplomats were coping with the thirteen-nation cease-fire resolution.Mao focused his attention on how to command Onte dayoEnai cbled ChaiChengn the Chine the CPV to attack and cross the thirty-eighth parallel.Internally,at n North Korea.t relay toKmlSung that Chna this time,there were different opinions concerning whether the CPV heKorpoend o the Security Cou should continue its successful initiative to launch a third campaign YZEW08.658)On the aftemoon of December and cross south of the thirty-eighth parallel.As commander-in-chief, 6.Zhou cabled Wu and Qiao,telling them to present China's pos Peng Dehuai argued that the CPV was extremely tired,the number on Rau and the president of the UN General Assembly:The for. of the wounded was continuously increasing,and the troops were mulf fre first and negotitionsafterward only benefited badly in need of rest and reorganization.He also knew that the CPV's the US-UK cliqueIt was a sham armistice.China would never con line of supplies was not secured.Most of his troops had no winter sent to it (JYZEW 2008.663-664). clothing and were running short of ammunition.In addition.medi- On December 17a Renmin ribao (People's Daily,Beijing)front. cine and food were in short supply.The situation would only be ex- paeirriticized the UNresolution.condemning it as serving acerbated with the CPV's further advancement to the south.In his the inerests of the US imperialist invaders.It claimed that the de cable to Mao on December 8.Peng thus proposed to launch a third of- feated US-UN forces needed breathing space and the UN resolution fensive campaign in February and March of the following year,1951 therefore satisfied the wishes of the US aggressors.On December 20. (JYZEW 2008,616).After receiving Peng's telegram,Nie Rongzhen. before departing for China.Wu Xiuquan delivered a speech at a Lon- acting chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army.con- don airpor claiming China's proposal"s a genuine plan for ending curred with Peng's assessment.Nie suggested to Mao that the third the war.But the UN Security Council rejected it.The United States campaign should be postponed for two months(Gu 1989.141:Nie had ulterior motives in supporting a"cease-fire first"resolution.Its 1984.740). purpose was"to constrain the CPV,and allow the US forces to con- On the same day that Peng sent his telegram,Kim Il Sung called tinue its aggression and expand the war"(Shijie zhishi 1960.353- on his people "to march toward victory in the liberation war"and 354).In his December 22 declaration.revised by Mao,Zhou formally "send the US invaders and Syngman Rhee's traitorous clique to the rejected the thirteen-nation resolution,appealing to the Arab-Asian grave."Stalin and Mao had reached a tacit agreement regarding nations to abandon the"three-person group"and the idea of cease- whether the CPV should cross to the south of the thirty-eighth paral- fire first and negotiations afterwards (JYZEW 2008.684-689).In lel.The Soviet government already expressed an attitude of"striking Zhou's draft,Mao added two more conditions:US withdrawal from while the iron is hot."Under such circumstances,it was impossible Taiwan and restoration of the PRC's rightful place at the UN.He fur- for Mao to support Peng's request to temporarily suspend the offen- ther stated."It is impossible to resolve the Korean issue and impor- sive.In a telegram to Peng on December 13,Mao contended that if the tant problems in Asia without taking into consideration these points" Chinese army was not going to complete this campaign."it would JYMW2010.417). arouse all kinds of speculation in the capitalist countries,and all dem- ocratic countries would take exception to this position"(JYMZW 1987