THE SITUATION IN 'CHINA

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 152, 26 December 1923, Page 6

THE SITUATION IN 'CHINA

That there is, or soon will be, necessity for international consultation, perhaps intervention, in the present state 1 of affairs in China is made plain in a recent dispatch of "The Times" Pekin correspondent. After describing the large and unrestricted importation of foreign arms and military materiel, the correspondent remarks, "the, consequences to foreigners and. foreign interests, as well as to the Chinese people, can be judged when aeroplanes, bombs, and gas come to be used by unskilled, irresponsible Chinese." The correspondent mentions the, importation-, of French and American aeroplanes, including, bomb 'planes from France, and refers to the ambition of Chinese armies to be equipped with modern arms if they are forced to take the held. In this great country, peopled by a naturally industrious and peace-loving.race, there appear to be numerous: armies of varying di mensions fighting, among themselves, in addition to the armies of the Pekin Government (if there is a Government) fighting against the. "insurgent" forces having their headquarters at Canton. It ..would seem that there are more soldiers than farmers in many parts .of China. From of old the soldier . was regarded as at the lowest rung of the social ladder. Nevertheless, he has to be paid, or at least kept fed and clothed. The danger to China of a large army, or of many detached armies, is that when the men are not paid or clothed and fed, and constantly employed, they turn bandits. The fear in the mind of "The Times" correspondent seems to s be that it was bad enough under the old regime to have these armed robbers harrying the country, but it would be ten thousand times worse if they were able to do so with bombing 'planes, poison gases, and modern artillery. Whatever violence thsy might do to their own people would be bad enough, but foreigners in such circumstances could hardly expect immunity. It is to be feared that there is very little hope at present of anything like international consultation on the disordered' affairs of China with the object of restoring order and peace in the interests of the Chinese themselves, as well as ensuring the safety of foreigners resident in China. Europe itself is not, yet at peace, although there is no war. The expulsion of the Occidentals as a whole from China, however desirable it might be to deport some individual foreigners from that country, would be against the best interests of the Chinese themselves. Many of them know it: But it is conceivable that Before the Powers would act in unison and with adequate force, a tremendous amount of .mischief could be accomplished in! general attacks by northern, southern, and other forces at present divided upon foreigners, j That is evidently what is in the mind of "The Times" correspondent. It would be deplorable, as is possible, if the lives of innocent American men and women missionaries were sacrificed in Chinese air raids made in American machines, or French nuns and fathers; doing self-sacrificing work ia the fa* interior, were slaughtered

by Chinese using arms supplied by French manufacturers. It would be no less deplorable if the victims of anti-foreign fury were British subjects. There can be no doubt about the fact that some of those who are leading or misleading the Chinese are' impressed with the disordered state of Europe and the lack of cohesion between the heads of Powers who are the most likely in ordinary and pre-war times to endeavour to bring .about a settlement of the internal strife that has rent China in pieces since the Republic. The present time of European disunion may be considered the best for expelling the foreigner. Intervention in force may be nearer than we think.