Opening Statement by Comrade Alexei N. Kosygin
Chairman of the State Planning Committee of the USSR
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Delivered at the First Session of the Sino-Soviet Industrial and Mutual Security Coordination Conference, Shanghai – 1961
Comrade Liu Shaoqi,
Esteemed delegates of the People’s Republic of China,
Fraternal comrades of the Chinese Communist Party,
On behalf of the Soviet delegation, allow me to express our sincere appreciation for the warm welcome extended to us here in Shanghai. It is an honor to be received by you personally, Comrade Liu, a stalwart of the revolution and a proven guide of the people.
Our presence here is not only a symbol of bilateral cooperation, but a reflection of something deeper: the unbroken bond between two peoples who have marched along parallel revolutionary paths, drawn forward by the teachings of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and the heroic example of China’s own socialist construction.
You have clearly outlined two vital areas of shared concern: agriculture, and technological-industrial and defense cooperation. I wish to say, from the outset, that the Soviet Union arrives not with a position of imposition, but of technical solidarity , grounded in the scientific method and socialist brotherhood.
In the field of agriculture, the Soviet Union has, in recent years, rededicated itself to the classical principles of Marxist-Leninist planning—combining central coordination with rigorous material analysis. We do not view this as innovation, but as a return to clarity: where grain, labor, and fertilizer are treated as dialectical components of the productive base , and not merely figures in a ledger. We are fully prepared to discuss continued assistance in fertilizer production, transport planning, irrigation systems, and mechanization—always with full respect for Chinese sovereignty and conditions.
On the matter of defense and industrial technology, let me affirm the Soviet Union’s position: mutual security among socialist nations is not an abstract principle—it is a practical necessity. The world remains divided, and imperialism does not rest. We therefore welcome careful, confidential discussions with our Chinese comrades regarding the expansion of previous technical understandings, with the aim of safeguarding the revolutionary gains of both our peoples.
Beyond the two topics you have raised, the Soviet delegation stands ready to share the experiences of our ongoing work to deepen rational socialist construction across all branches of national life. These are not experiments, but reaffirmations of Lenin’s vision: that socialist society is built through plan, discipline, and scientific labor , coordinated across all levels of the people’s economy.
Let this conference proceed in a spirit of discipline, openness, and shared mission. Whatever tactical differences may arise, we are united by the strategic truth that the strength of the socialist world lies not only in ideology, but in unity of method, unity of material power, and unity of purpose.
