SMUGGLING IN CHINA

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 194, 14 May 1936, Page 9

SMUGGLING IN CHINA

British Representations To Japan ENORMOUS PROPORTIONS London, May 12. The "Sun-Herald” news agency learns that Sir Robert Clive, British Ambassador at Tokio, has made representations to the Japanese Government in connection with smuggling along the entire North China coastline from Tientsin to Canton. Smuggling, which is threatening British interests, has assumed enormous proportions, and has caused a Customs crisis. The whole system is disorganised. Revenues on which British loans were guaranteed are dwindling precariously. British importers are heavily hit. They declare that payment of Customs charges is an impossible handicap in competition with merchants operating through smugglers, who are mainly connected with Chinese organisations. Japanese are considered bo be behind the movement. They man junks and intimidate the national revenue cutters. Chinese officials declare that smuggling would be controllable within a week if the Japanese militarist* did not prevent Customs launches operating within the three-mile limit on the North China coast on a pretext of breach of the Tangku truce, which prevents armed Chinese action against offenders. The belief is widely held that this is part of a Japanese attempt to undermine the whole of the Chinese financial structure. A British official wireless message on April 29 stated that the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden, replying to questions calling attention to the serious consequences to legitimate trade of extensive smuggling of Japanese goorlo into China from Dairen, said that the growth of smuggling in North China had been engaging the attention of the Government for some time past, and had formed the subject of representations to the Chinese- and Japanese Governments. In view of the recent deterioration of the position, the Government was actively considering what further steps could be taken to safeguard British trade in North China and ensure that the security of the foreign loan service would not be endangered.