CHINA AND JAPAN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 173, 15 April 1908, Page 6

CHINA AND JAPAN.

Yesterday's cable news contains some striking evidence of the thoroughness with wick China is prosecuting her retaliatory boycott of Japanese commerce and the seriousness of the declaration by the organisers of the boycott that they will not relent until the cost to Japan has reached sixty millions sterling. A Japanese steamer, sailing from China to San Francisco, left • without a package of Chinese cargo, and tvith only 25 passengers, while a Canadian steamer last Thursday Jeft Hong-Kong with no fewer than G3O passengers on board. The imme-' diate cause pf the boycott was Japan's successful insistence on a complete "back-down" by China over the affair of the Talsu Maru, the Japanese steamer which was arrested and stripped of her flag when carrying amis in Chinese waters oft' the port of Macao. China insisted that the arrest of the vessel was in accordance with the treaty .under which China and Japan engaged themselves •to refrain from carrying arms into each other's waters, and the truculent attitude of Japan in demanding reparation and apology for what was a legitimate a,ct has caused intense indignation amongst all classes' in Canton and Hong-Kong. The result has been the initiation of the boycott under the direction of the Chinese Traders' Association in. Canton. There were, how-u ever, many points of friction between the. two countries antecedent to the culminating _ incident—conflicts over the Chinese rights in railway construction, Japanese rights in Manchurian coal mines, the retention by Japan of the province of Kiriii, and numberless' other questions 1 . involving a competition between Chinese and Japanese interests ill Manchuria.. r- : - -> Our' Hong-Kong' correspondent, in an. interesting communication which we printed last week, expressed the opinion ( that Japan "is steadily endeavouring to goad China into a conflict," apparently, trusting, in her financial embarrassment, that "somehow good will be the final goal of ill." A. war indemnity, and perhaps a new slice of-territory, would fill the aching void in the Japanese treasury. The London Times " correspondent, on the other hand, represents China as anything but the victim of Japanese aggressiveness. "China;" ho wrote recently; " is by no means the negligible quantity which she used'to be in political affairs. Spurred, no doubt, by Japan's example, she shows many aspirations and some attainments of reform; she also undoubtedly can ; exert more independence against foreign Powers than she was wont." It may be taken for granted that'the-Powers will not permit. Japan to disturb the integrity of China, so that it is -difficult to perceive what Japan can hope to gain by a war of aggression. In ordinary circumstances a large commercial boycott such as that now cur? rent could hardly fail, if/persisted inj to end in war, Since commercial .rivalry is still the most fruitful cause of international quarrel; China is a special case, however, and it is likely that the boycott may in coercing. Japan into a bloodless surrender of. akind that will free her from the powerful coercion exerted through commer'-: cial channels. The ; enthusiasm with; which the Chinese in Australia have,co-operated, in the boycott testifies very/strikingly to the solidarity of the race on a point of national pride, especially. when that pride can express itself and find satisfaction.: through commercial' .methods. In Sydney the other day a representative meeting of ! Ckinese. merchants resolved to withdraw all support from the Nippon .Yusen s'aisha,the Japanese steamship line trading to ' Australia, and, to refuse to transact business with' Japanese or handle Japanese goods. They further bound themselves and the traders whom they- represented to observe the. rules of the boycott under heavy -monetary ' penalties. It was explained to ;a representative of the " Sydney Morning Herald" 1 that Chinese traders and merchants are united in a federation throughout the world,' and that no Chinese dare hold aloof from the boycott. The boycott is the only weapon available to China against a Power which, has the. ■naval strength that the old empirfe lacks. The editor of the " Tung Wall Times;" a Chinese journal published in Sydney, has stated that if China had an efficient army' and' navy she would not waste time on a boycott: "We would declare war against Japan at once, and give them what they are looking for —a good thrashing. If we were only able to defend ourselves,: we would not tolerate these insults for a single. moment." In the meantime China is rapidly netting her house in order, and whatever may be the issue of the boycott, it seems tolerably certain that the day of reckoning ..which'; s'o many Chinese are hoping for will come before many years have passed.