Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, DECEMBER 21st., 1936. CHINESE REVIVAL.

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 December 1936, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, DECEMBER 21st., 1936. CHINESE REVIVAL.

OHINA is a land of strange happenings, there seeming to be a national delight in doing things contrary to what most other nations deem to be normal. The latest instance is the detention of Chiang Kai-shek, China’s “strong man,’’ by a body of troops rebelling against the Nanking Government, because of the latter’s too timid attitude towards Japanese aggression. Kai-shek went to the

rebels’ headquarters to talk things over, almost unaccompanied, which seems a risky thing to have done. It is reported that the rebels are detaining him as hostage. He does not appear to be very anxious about his safety, and he has urged the Government not to take provocative measures. It may be that Kai-shek sympathises with the protest of the rebels, but he realises that China is not yet in a position to challenge Japan. The whole incident is tinged with that air of mystery peculiar to Chinese methods, arid the outcome is,

awaited with considerable outside interest. < China, it is generally agreed, < has made considerable progress of ’ late years, particularly in the j direction of national unity. If the ’ good work is permitted to con- , tinue, without serious trouble with Japan, the latter will find herself less able to dictate to her neighbour. A united China, with a well-equipped army, would be able to offer opposition not to be despised. 3lost of the Chinese recovery is attributed to the work of General Chiang Kai-shek. China Jias had many “strong men,” who have come and gone, without, fulfilling the expectations of their admirers. but Kai-shek seems to be one of the most effective, so far. He was born near Ningpo at the mouth of the Yangtze in 1887. He joined Dr. Sun Yat-sen, in 1911; went under with him in the second revolution of 1913 and was an exile for 10 years, during which he had some military training in Japan. lie rejoined Dr. Sun when the latter established his Government at Canton in 1923, was sent to Moscow for more military study, and returned to assist in building up the Nationalist armies whose triumphal march northwards ended in the overthrow of the last of the old Tuchuu regime under Marshal Chang Tso-1 in and the establishment of the Nationalist Government at. Nanking in 1928.

A first class soldier, Kai-shek has proved he is also a wise statesman. ’He has great physical and moral courage, and has not hesitated to break with former friends, when Chinese interests demanded this. He checked the Russian grip on China, and then turned his attention to Chinese Communists. Unlike most “warlords” in the country’s history, he prefers peaceful negotiations to civil war, and recently scored a great triumph in this direction, when he suppressed a revolt of the Southern Generals, without any fighting. He is more respected than popular with the .Chinese people, generally. His critics declare that he is too dictatorial, and too eager for personal power. Be that as it may, he has achieved great results, and few doubt his sincerity. Kai-shek is a Christian, as is also his wife, who is a fitting mate for her country’s leader, having brains as well as beauty. If Kai-shek is spared for a few more years to lead national destinies, China should be able to hold her own against attackers, and Japan realises this. Japan has had a good innings in the struggle to obtain mastery of the Far East. To-day, her position of supremacy is less secure, as both her possible foes, China and Russia, have gained largely in military strength, and are overcoming any former fears of Japanese might.