Section 3 Negotiation on Communication between the Two Areas

Photograph of the delegation sent by the General
Bureau of China Post to Beijing on March 31,1949. 
The Negotiation communication between the two sides
was held in Beijing on April 4, 1949. An agreement
was signed on April 15, which became a mere scrap
of paper due to the obstruction of Kuomintang
Government

After the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, people who had undergone turmoil for many years urgently longed for normal communication between Kuomintang and Communist Party areas. On Feb. l, 1946, "the Military Mediation Executive Department" which was composed of delegates of Kuomintang, Communist Party of China and USA issued joint proclamation, declaring that commanders of the two sides should immediately carry out the work of assisting in restoring communication lines, pointing out that "the so-called communication lines includes all roads, railways, waterways, post, telephone lines, telegraph lines and radio equipment" and also regulating that "it was prohibited to detain mails and telegraphs". It should be said that the above regulations were good political basis for negotiations on communication. However, because Kuomintang Government carried out the reactionary policy of false negotiation and true Civil War, and intended to eliminate CPC and liberation areas, there appeared great difficulties in the negotiation. During the negotiation, Kuomintang delegates put forward the plan of "arranging and restoring post", intending to abolish post of liberation areas and restore China Post by arranging. CPC delegates put forward their own plan, requesting Kuomintang Administration recognize and employ post staff in liberation areas who persevered in the resistance war. While Kuomintang Administration didn't recognize post in liberation areas and discriminated against post staff of liberation areas with the excuse that they could only be employed after they passed the examination. Kuomintang deliberately made things difficult, which was strongly denounced by CPC delegates. At the same time when the two sides negotiated on communication, post organization in liberation areas started from the view of convenience for public communication to discuss communication method with China Post. to maintain communication relations as far as possible. By the end of 1946, Kuomintang tore up the truce agreement, Civil War broke out. In Jan. 1947, Kuomintang Government ordered to carry out economy and communication blockade toward liberation areas. In Aug., 1947, General Bureau of China Post ordered to stop exchanging mails between the two sides. Communication ended.

With the victorical development of the Liberation War and the expansion of liberated areas. Kuomintang Administration prohibit6d communication between the two sides and persuaded China Post staff to retreat from liberated areas, which caused the shrinking of China Post business, and great reduction of income. Post economy was in difficulties. Morever, prohibition on communication was contrary to reasons, many people write to criticize and interrogate. Under the pressure of public opinion, Kuomintang Administration Put forward its request of communication with liberated areas in Jan.1949. On Feb.3, 1949, General Bureau of China Post issued the decree of trying out communication. People's Government and post department cooperated positively. On March 9, 1949, People's Government of North China and General Post Bureau issued "Temporary Provisions about Communication with Kuomintang's Area" regulating that "mails from Kuomintang's area could be delivered, mails sent to Kuomintang's area could be transferred", and fixed Beijing, Tianjin and Qinhuangdao as the places for exchanging mails for both sides. China Post also reported the situation of restoring post in all areas, claiming that "both sides had ordered to protect post staff" and "allow mails and delivery vehicles of both sides to pass through the blockade".

But, there were great limitations in this partly communication method. By then, in Shanghai and other large cities, mails to be sent to liberation areas accumulated more and more, people were getting more and more resentful. Kuomintang Administration was quite passive. On March 17, 1949, Communication Ministry of Kuomintang Government inspected General Post Bureau to send delegation to liberated Beijing to discuss technical items about thorough communication. Naming delegation included Met Yifan, Post Chief; Weng Haoying, Assistant Post Chief, Li Xiong, Director of Public Service Section; Deputy Chief Secretary of Design and Check Committee. The CPC delegation was composed of these people' Su Younong, Director of North China Post Bureau; Cheng Anyu, Deputy Director. Because of the sincerity of both sides, this negotiation progressed smoothly and reached an agreement on thoroughly normal communication. But unexpected to Naming delegates of communications negotiation, on April 27, i.e, the same day when the communication agreement was signed, the Administration Department of Kuomintang Government which had escaped to Guangzhou decided to stop communication between the two sides, which made the communication agreement only a mere scrap of paper.