Harvard China Experts Endorse UN Decision

Three of the university's best-known experts on China yesterday endorsed the U.N.'s decision to expel Taiwan and seat the People's Republic of China.

"The American defeat (in the U.N. voting) is what we deserve after 20 years of unrealism." John K. Fairbank, Higginson Professor of History, said yesterday. "It is unreal after 20 years to assume that Nationalist China represents the mainland Chinese."

Benjamin I. Sehwartz '38, professor of History and Government, said he had "some worries" about the removal of Nationalist China, but believed "the benefit of Peking in the U.N. outweighs the expulsion of Taipei."

Edwin O. Reischauer '32, University Professor, said he thought that the U.N. action would make the organization "stronger."

"Although the Chinese might be disruptive at first, that will not always be a serious problem," Reischauer said. He predicted that the U.N. would be able to achieve more with China as a member, though the immediate impact of the decision would not be great.

Among the effects to be expected from China's admission. Fairbank said, will be the disintegration of U.S.-Russian bi-polarity at the U.N.

"All that will change--you'll have five powers now," he said.

As to possible effects China's presence would have with respect to such U.N. problems as the Middle East. Fairbank said any comment would be "too speculative" at this time.

Fairbank predicted that the U.N.'s action would make Nixon's forthcoming China trip easier. "The fact that we lost will make us more welcome in Peking," he said

Fairbank, who has himself been invited to Peking by Mao, said that the margin of the vote--74 to 35 in favor of seating Peking and expelling Taiwan--had not surprised him.

Schwartz said that he welcomed the fact that China henceforth "would be involved in world affairs rather than being isolated." "China will come to act more and more in terms of conventional world power relations," he added.