Friday, 27 January

Fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Yiwei year

In the past few days, Defeng has seemed to not want to take care of his responsibilities.  Shaohua decided to go with Zhongxiong to Bonn on Sunday to be in liaison with ‎the porcelain business. Both Defeng and Ye said that they would go with them, therefore there would be a problem (in manpower) for the restaurant. I really do not think that they are right as the Hong Kong restaurant is the base for the living of our whole family. It would be acceptable that Shaohua demanded Zhongxiong to come with him, as it is for the sake of the business. Defeng was entrusted by me, but he left all the same. [To me] the purpose was obviously for leisure travel. He is perhaps too bad to his friend. Therefore I wrote to Lin Yong, stating that as Zhongxiong needed to go to Germany for several days so we were asking him to come to our assistance. He immediately came. This was enough to see the difference in the level of friendship.

L’Information had published an article. It said that it was concerned the United States and the Soviet Union would be inclined to directly negotiate to divide the world into two halves, of which the Four Powers would become two. It also said the suggestion of Bulganin would be that during Eisenhower’s visit to Britain and West Germany between February and March that (both sides would) meet with each other. The Soviet Union raised this suggestion, but I thought America might not agree to do so. Eisenhower and Dulles might not have such power.