CASE AGAINST CHINA

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22424, 10 June 1938, Page 10

CASE AGAINST CHINA

JAPANESE CONSUL’S ADDRESS “NEW STRATEGY” OP THE COMINTERN SAFEGUARDING OF TRADE INTERESTS [THE PRESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, June 0. “In* Japan’s case withdrawal from China is impossible, because to Japan the China trade is vital. To Japan it is a life and death struggle. The Jap-ane-e nation is now fully united in its determination, backed by its armed forces, to demand its rights from the Nanking Government.” These statements were made by the Consul-Gen-eral for Japan in New Zealand (Mr K. Gunji) in an address at the luncheon of the Young Men’s Christian Association Optimists’ Club in Wellington to-day. “Let me assure you that Japan could not possibly follow any course different from its present policy toward China,” Mr Gunji said. “The all-im-portant fad is that China is an absolutely vital factor in Japan’s commerce. In China Japan has placed more than 80 per cent, of her foreign investments. Commerce between Japan’s 100,000,000 inhabitants and nearby China’s 450,000,000 is not only very natural, it is unavoidable. This is true hot only because of their proximity, but because each country has something valuable to offer the othfer, but Sino-Japanese relations have never been smooth. “China is still in revolution,” he continued. “Its recent rulers have been mostly war lords. Trade cannot be satisfactory in the midst of constant disorder, civil warfare, floods, disease, and other calamities. In a country where xenophobia is traditional, and economic warfare in the form of illegal and hysterical boycotts is constantly resorted to, trade relations become impossible.” Japanese Grievances Mr Gunji said that the list of Japanese grievances: against . China was long. It included treaty violations, assassinations,'provocative attacks, boycotts, and. insults. What Japan chiefly feared was China’s instability and uncertainty, . both .political and economic, Japan also feared the development of Communism at its doorway.. Yet not only did China harbour Communist armies, but, through’ political liaison with the Soviet Union and the Comintern, chiefly by way’ of North China and Mongolia, Communism directly imperilled the security of Japan. China’s huge Communist armies were rabidly anti-Japanese. “Just as disease breeds in dirt, so Communism flourishes amid disorder,” he said. “Were China internally peaceful and orderly, no one would be more pleased than Japan, but China is in turmoil and in the country’s northern provinces, so close to Japanese interests in Manchukuo, strong anti-Japanese movements have flourished. The fighting which developed during July and August was not of Japan’s seeking. It is a conspicuous fact that Japan showed every disposition to localise the conflict.” Mr Gunji next dealt with how China was Bolshevised. "At the seventh congress of the Comintern, which was held in Moscow in the summer of 1935, a new strategy to bring about the overthrow of capitalism was adopted,” 'he said. “Until then the Communist International, taking an uncompromising attitude against imperialist countries, had defined; the taisk of Communist parties in those countries as that of leading up td' ;, a -Socialist revolution through bringing about their internal collapse. Ih the new however, there has been effected a..rgdical change, in that it is to concentrate Communist attacks in a few countries of a particular type. Thus Germany, Poland, and Japan have been as; the objectives of their new campaign. The Comintern has in particular instructed Communists throughout the world to give the fullest support, to the struggle- of the Chinese Red army with a view to resisting the Japanese advance into China and eliminating her power and influence from the Asiatic continent. Attack on Revisionist Countries “Japan and Germany-are,among the so-called revisionist countries, as distinguished from the status quo countries, such as Great Britain, the United States, and France. This classification of the. Powers will at once clarify the motives of the Communists’ new strategy in making - the countries in the revisionist group the objects of their attack: In resorting to this measure the Comintern hopes to win the status quo countries over to its side, the idea being that even if it cannot achieve that purpose it may at least keep them, from becoming its enemies. “The Kuomintahg, advocating . a policy of internal peace first and fighting external enemies next, had been trying to; subjugate Communist forces,” he said. “Now, however, it has lost any pretext for a continuance of such a campaign, as the Communists themselves urge the necessity of National-ist-Communist collaboration and announce their, readiness to accept Nationalist leadership. “Under these conditions, and so long as these conditions continue, it is. obvious that friendly relations between Japan and China cannot be hoped for,” Mr Gunji continued. “All -efforts for Sino-Japanese collaboration on the part of ’ Japan have not only been fruitless but have had the. contrary effect of inviting a succession of malicious acts of terrorism ion the part of China. The more Japan became patient, the more China’s over-esti-ifiatioff of hSf fighting* "strength was brought about. As . matters stood, armed conflict between the two countries was inevitable. The only way of evading a conflict would have been for Japan to give nib all hopes of development on the Asiatic continent, and to abandon all her rights and interests in Chinh: ■ To do so, however, means Japan’s, suicide, and the Japanese people cannot bear to think of such,,a step. ’ , , . “Question of Life and Death” “Japan sincerely hopes that China Will be regenerated as a united modern State; but 1 Japan will never consent to China’s being ruled by an anti-Japan-ese Red Government. This is really a question sof life and death to Japan. -. “Since the outbreak of hostilities, Nationalist - Communist collaboration has made great, strides. The Red Army has - been -reorganised as : a national revolutionary'army. The conclusion of the; Chinese-Soviet nonaggression agreement and the increasingly overt assistance of the Soviet Union are but natural outcomes of such' politico-ideological developments. Consequently China’s Bolshevisation cannot be stopped, except by the action of; Japan’s armed forces.” Mr Guriji said that,; as a jmeans for accomplishing revolution, the Comin-

intern had established the strategy of defeating its enemies one by one, and the Chinese Communists, In accordance with the new strategy, had chosen Japan as the immediate objective for their action. “To Japan it •is a life and - death; struggle,” he said in conclusion. “That is the case for Japan, There has been much vicious misrepresentation against Japan, but I beg of you kindly to give careful thought to the facts which I have stated. I am sure a thorough consideration of all the circumstances would abundantly justify the measures taken in China by the Japanese nation."