First Published: Unity, Vol. 1, No. 1, September 1978.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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San Francisco – On Labor Day weekend, over 1000 people attended the Fifth Annual Convention of the U.S.-China People’s Friendship Association (USCPFA),in San Francisco. Delegates came from USCPFA locals across the country, from cities like New York, Los Angeles, Detroit and Atlanta, and from smaller locals and organizing committees such as Suncoast, Florida.
Hundreds of USCPFA members and others joined in numerous educational workshops and pro-grams, and helped set off the “Year of Normalization and a Leap Forward in Friendship Work.”
The Convention reaffirmed the goals and principles of the Association to promote friendship and understanding between the U.S. and Chinese peoples. This year’s convention was the largest ever, and reflected the broad range of people actively involved in the friendship movement. The participants included long-time friends of China like John Service and Maggie Kuhn, new members just back from their first trips to China, workers and professionals, and people of all nationalities.
The programs covered a wide variety of topics, relating to China’s role in the world today, China’s recent advances, and the current struggle to make China a modern socialist country by the turn of the century.
A highlight of the Convention was a presentation by a panel of trade unionists on the topic of normalization of U.S.-China relations. It reflected growing mass support for normalization. All the panelists had either been on the 1976 or 1978 delegations of trade unionists to China. They spoke of their experiences and the impact the trip had on their thinking, seeing a society that puts the interests of the working people first. When they returned to the U.S., all the panelists became activists for normalization. The audience, composed mainly of workers, responded enthusiastically to the presentation with many questions and suggestions on how to carry out normalization work in the trade unions and among unorganized workers.
Another popular workshop dealt with China’s role internationally, and featured a presentation and slideshow on China and Africa. Susan Warren, who has been active in the friendship movement for many years, led the workshop, which brought out the many contributions China has made materially and politically to the developing countries of Africa.
In addition to the educational aspects of the weekend, the Convention took up many of the questions and tasks facing the Association. The Convention elected four at-large members of the National Steering Committee and resolved to strengthen the national centers. These included the Center for Learning About China in Chicago, the Center for U.S.-China Relations in Washington, D.C. and the newly established Publications Center in New York.
The convention also made plans to strengthen the normalization campaign, so that the coming year can be “a year for the USCPFA to become a national influential force for the establishment of normal diplomatic relations.” An important step was the establishment of a full-time position to oversee and direct the campaign to, admit China to the 1980 Olympics.
Members of the National Minorities Caucus met during the Convention and reaffirmed the significant role of the caucus within the Association, Delegates brought out the importance of the caucus as a way for national minorities to take up particular issues facing them in the USCPFA, and as a way to encourage national minorities to participate fully in developing the work of the Association. The caucus elected a new national steering committee, with representatives from all four regions, and the caucus began to lay plans for expanding to different parts of the country.
The delegates were able to enthusiastically carry out their work in spite of the activities of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), which were intended to disrupt the Convention and destroy the USCPFA. After months of undermining the work of the Association, the RCP has come out with a full-blown attack on China and on the USCPFA.
Hailing the “gang of four” as the true successors to Mao, they are openly slandering the current leadership of China as revisionist. The first day of the Convention, the RCP called a press conference and announced their intention to “raise controversy and debate” at the Convention.
The RCP barraged delegates with leaflets, announcing their support for the “gang of four”, harassed delegates at every opportunity, tried to disrupt workshops and plenary sessions, heckled speakers, and even went so far as to put out a leaflet calling on delegates to go home after the Convention and disband their locals. But day-by-day they were further isolated. On Sunday morning, the RCP’s resolution carne up for a vote, calling for the Association to devote all its time to discussion of the “recent changes” in China. A number of’ delegates denounced the RCP for its anti-China actions and views. One Black woman from Chicago angrily pointed out that the RCP was objectively doing the work of the FBI and the KMT. The RCP’s resolutions and plans were exposed and smashed.
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The Convention set a clear direction for the U.S. China People’s Friendship Association to move firmly ahead, to build and expand the movement for U.S.-China people’s friendship and for normalization of U.S.-China state relations.