McGill Professor Probes Chinese Foreign Policy

Professor Paul Lin, chairman of East Asian Studies at McGill University, spoke on "Chinese Society and Foreign Policy" in Lowell Lecture Hall last night. Lin lived and studied in the People's Republic from 1949 to 1964 and returned for a five-month visit in 1970.

"China's attitude is 'no thank you, we won't join your super-power club'," Lin said. "The Chinese believe that old attitudes must be changed by struggle, including national chauvinism." Instead of bullying small countries, China will identify itself with them, Lin added.

China is trying to protect West Pakistan's autonomy as part of its policy of supporting small nations, Lin said. "China is saying we will not interfere, we will criticize and oppose interference in Pakistani affairs (by India and the USSR)," he explained.

The American military presence in the Far East will be the first topic of discussion in Nixon's upcoming visit to China, Lin predicted. "How can you have tea and a nice chat with someone who has a gun to your head?" Lin asked. The Chinese will insist that the U.S. withdraw its forces before they will discuss trade, cultural changes, and other issues.

Nixon's visit to the People's Republic will not mark a major change in Chinese foreign policy, Lin said. It represents a continuation on a higher level of the 135 talks already held between U. S. and Chinese ambassadors.

LIN LIVES

Lin dismissed with a laugh the rumor that Lin Piao had been killed in a plane crash while attempting to flee after an abortive coup. "It was intended to give a feeling of insecurity and instability to influence the U. N. vote," he said in an interview before the lecture.

Lin attacked the "demonology about China in the U. S. that has dominated journalistic information and even scholarship on China." China has been portrayed as "a parish for its alleged expansionism" and "a robot like society with regimented human beings," Lin said.

The crowd of about 500 people included many Chinese students, as Lin acknowledged by beginning his speech in Chinese. According to an impromptu translation, he wished for "a newer level of understanding between the Chinese and American peoples."

The Harvard East Asian Colloquium and the Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association sponsored the lecture, the second in a series of lectures on China.