Evening Post. MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1938. A BLOW TO CHINA

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 99, 24 October 1938, Page 8

Evening Post. MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1938. A BLOW TO CHINA

The loss of Canton, confirmed by the cable news today, must be recognised as a terrible blow to China's hopes of a successful outcome of her struggle with Japan. Canton was vital to the Chinese armies defending Hankow from the invaders advancing up the Yangtze Valley and down from the north. Connected with Hankow by the sole remaining trunk railway in Chinese hands, Canton was the last seaport through which Chinese resistance to Japan could draw support in the shape of munitions and supplies from overseas. The whole coast of China is now, for all practical purposes, in the possession of the Japanese, and the only channels through which Chinese headquarters at Hankow can derive material help in their desperate efforts to maintain a hold on any part of the richer regions of China are the overland routes from Siberia and the road and rail into Yunnan from French Indo-China. Neither of these can replace effectively the loss of the seaport which was the inlet and outlet for heavy traffic to and from the interior at Hankow. From a military point of view the surrender of Canton, almost without a fight, to the relatively small forces landed by the Japanese is both inexplicable and inexcusable. The only possible explanation is that given in the cable news, namely, that Canton was drained of all its best troops for the defence of Hankow. No wonder, according to a cable message, "foreign militarists in Hong Kong are amazed at the rapidity of the Japanese entry into Canton and are surprised that the Chinese did not resist in the natural hill defences." No wonder, also, that Eugene Chen, who pops up in the news again, after a decade of oblivion, as Mayor of Canton, is said to be demanding the dismissal of General Chiang Kai-shek. This almost bloodless fall of Canton has revealed an extraordinary weakness either in the military direction of the campaign on the part of Chinese headquarters or in China's resources for continued resistance. A nation that could not muster up sufficient strength to defend both Canton and Hankow simultaneously is obviously handicapped in a war with a resourceful enemy like Japan. It is reported from unofficial sources that the German _ military mission with the Chinese has not left China, contrary to earlier reports, but 'there has been little evidence in the last few months of expert conduct in the campaign on the Chinese side. From the Japanese point of view the easy occupation of Canton is a signal victory, which may inspire the invaders, who have been straining every resource in their power to end the war before the winter, to press forward in the onslaught on Hankow, weakened by the loss of its "lifeline" linking it to the sea. For the British Empire, represented in the stronghold and seaport of Hong Kong, a great entrepot of the East, the continued pre§ence of the Japanese at Canton may well have a serious side. This is not overlooked in the cable news from Hong Kong, which states that the British colcfciy there is "faced with ruin, as the Japanese straddle its frontier and surround its seas with warships, blockading it from-the rich hinterland and bringing inland trade to a standstill." If Canton shares the fate of Shanghai the future of Hong Kong cannot but be affected, and with it the fortunes of the British Empire in the Far East, Can the British Empire afford to let all its many and extensive interests in this populous region pass into alien hands? It is significant that "this lightning campaign against Canton," as it is described by the Tokio correspondent of the London "Observer," preceded, as the correspondent states, by several months' preparation, should have been preceded also by the Czechoslovakian affair and its revelations. It would seem as if Japan was satisfied by observation that it was safe to proceed with the "lightning campaign." Whether Russia will acquiesce in the latest blow struck against Chinese resistance to an old foe is another question. The subsidence into calm of the Possiet Bay "storm in a teacup" between the Soviet and Japan would seem to indicate that Russia is not in a position to intervene in China, less so than ever since the weakening of her European ties. The one Power in the world today that could turn the tables decisively against the group of nations which appeal to force for their aggrandisement is the United States. Sooner or later the decision will have to be made, and the longer it is left the greater the risk. It is to America that the menaced democracies look