China's Artificial Satellite is a Great Victory of Mao Zedong Thought

Central Committee of the Communist Party of Peru

May 1970

On April 24th of this year, the whole world received the great news of China’s launch of its first artificial satellite of the Earth.

As noted by Xinhua News Agency, “THIS MARKS A GOOD BEGINNING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA’S SPACE TECHNOLOGY. IT IS A GREAT VICTORY FOR MAO ZEDONG THOUGHT, A GREAT VICTORY FOR CHAIRMAN MAO’S PROLETARIAN REVOLUTIONARY LINE AND ANOTHER FRUITFUL RESULT OF THE GREAT PROLETARIAN CULTURAL REVOLUTION.”1

With politics in command, and striving to always move forward according to the standards of quantity, speed, quality, and economy, China has made great progress in the fields of energy, cybernetics, and propulsion technology. The mastery of nuclear energy, electronic calculators, and rocketry are clear and conclusive evidence of this.

The first artificial satellite placed in Earth’s orbit by the People’s Republic of China weighs 173 kilograms. In other words, it is three times heavier than the first Soviet artificial satellite (90 kg) and eleven times heavier than the first American artificial satellite (16 kg). This in itself indicates the level at which they have begun their space technology.

At the frequency of 20,009 megacycles, the whole world listens to the chords of “The East is Red,” which the satellite broadcasts as it passes over different cities on Earth.

This great victory of Mao Zedong Thought has delighted revolutionary peoples, peoples who struggle for their liberation. And it has greatly frightened the imperialists, social-imperialists, reactionaries, and opportunists of all stripes.

The Peruvian people, who struggle under extremely difficult conditions in the “backyard” of Yankee imperialism itself, feel great joy for this victory of the Chinese brotherly people; and a great stimulus to continue fighting until they achieve power and also build a socialist society.

This great victory of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution is also a great encouragement for our Communist Party in its struggle against liquidationism, which threatens the very existence of the Party, in its struggle to definitively establish the total and absolute hegemony of the base of Party unity.