Chou's Trip: A Few Crises But Not Much Headway

A blue and white DC-7 skimmed clear of the sand dunes surrounding Somalia's primitive Mogadishu Airport, then wheeled out over the Indian Ocean toward Asia. In his chartered KLM air liner, Red China's Premier Chou Enlai, his hard face lined and bloodless, watched Africa drop behind him. In the course of his 53-day safari, he had toured ten nations, ranging from so traditional a monarchy as Morocco to so Red-hot a republic as Ghana, with time out for a side trip to Albania.

He had conferred at length with ten African chiefs of state, talked briefly with nearly 200 Cabinet ministers, shaken hands with some 400 diplomats. He had toured dozens of dam sites, factories and historical monuments, sat straight-faced through scores of folk-dance performances, and collected enough tribal masks and carved ivory gewgaws to open his own African museum. But what had he achieved?

Well, not much. He won a pledge of recognition from Tunisia, but that was balanced by a public rebuke from Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba at a palace banquet. Bourguiba made it clear that Tunisia did not approve of Red China's bloody bullying tactics in its border dispute with India, nor did it appreciate Peking's refusal to sign the nuclear test ban treaty, "which is regarded by almost all humanity as a hopeful promise."

Though seven African nations signed up for an anti-imperialist "Second Bandung Conference" of Afro-Asian governments, touted by Chou, he failed notably to sow the seeds of Red China's virulent anti-Americanism. This failure was most pointed in Guinea. When Chou attacked the U.S. position in Panama, he was disappointed to find Sekou

Toure unwilling to go along with his condemnation. In fact, Guinea expressed its appreciation of U.S. aid.

In country after country, Chou preached alliance of the colored, underprivileged peoples of the world--"a pact amongst poor friends." This pitch went over better than any other, and no doubt it will be the theme song of future Chinese programs in Africa. But for all his polychromatic pandering, Chou still found many African leaders cool toward China. Indeed, some were just plain frightened.

Crises seemed to sprout like weeds while Chou was on the continent--Zanzibar's government fell in a bloody coup; the armies of Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda mutinied; poison arrows began flying in the Congo. And although he claimed no responsibility for the flare-ups ("We Chinese are often surprised by compliments we do not deserve," he quipped dryly in Somalia), many Africans found it hard to swallow such a spate of coincidences. Whether he was guilty or not, they were glad to see Chou out of Africa.

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