TROUBLE IN CHINA.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 104, 15 April 1911, Page 1 (Supplement)

TROUBLE IN CHINA.

WHAT RUSSIA'S ULTIMATUM .MEANS. Tin threat of Russia to occupy part of C'sint sc Turkestan is no idle tfirvat. Riissta i' about to conclude an agreement with Germany that removes the 1 isk of intervention from Ber'in. and deprives China of her most effective weapon—-the power to set one enwiii regains’ another. For the first time in recent hi'torv China must face hei troubles alone Tne circumstances that have led l< I ‘.he dispute nr'- sjgnifitant. An import mt treaty between Russia nnd China comes to an end 111 August of this year. Russia i< determined that the treaty shall be renewed. China has no wish to renew ir. This treaty, which wa* nude in giie- to Russia import ;.nt trading and .-onsular rights in Chin cm* Turk-'stan and Mongolia. The treats originated in tins way : In 1870 a great Mahometan rebellion spread over West tin (lima and through Central Asia., and threatened to break up the Chin » ; se empire. An arir.v under Genera’ Tso Tsung-rang marched against th* | iclh'ls. and findin*; -applies insufficient, lurzied itself into a farming and fight nig colony. Alternately raising crop' -end doiivg buttle this "agrtctiltural armv” accomplished its task, and th: I''hidlii.n was suppressed. Tiie struggle was long and in it' earliest -ta-ges disastrous to the ( bin **.«>. who-e forces were everyu lien | 1 outed and put to the sword. The Semirerhensk province of Russian Turkestan being on the fringe of tin icliellion could not escape its influence, i and in order to prevent the troubh from spreading to their territory tin Russian Government took the proem tion ot sending troops across th" bordei into Chinese Turkestan. In IST! Rus sia was in military occupation of th* basin of the Hi and the fertile provinei of Kuldia. which, as General Kuropatkin savs. pio'Orts like a strong bastion tn the east, facilitating the defence of ike western boundary of Russia and 1 acting as a menace to the Chinese.

For ten years ' Russia remained in the Chine-c province of the Kuldja. de spite the protests of Pekin. After pro li.nged negotiations a treaty was ar I laii-gesl. anil Ru-si-i agre *rl to withdraw on certain conditions. In exchange foi th" return of her territory, China con colled to Russia commercial and con snlai privileges in the Hi region. Mon golia and Manchii’i i and rights of navi- I gntion on the rivers Amur. Sungari am 1 i Ussuri.

The attitude i*f China towards tin | tieatv r>f 1881 has always been that of an unwifling partner. Both tlw Government and the people look upon it as a flagrant example of the methods nf foreigners in dealing with the Chin rse. Russia, they say. is our neigh tour on the border of Turkestan. 'When 1 our house was on fire and her owi.! house was threit-ned by the sparks.' Russia came to our assistance to arrest : the conflagration. But when we had extinguished the flames our neighboui j insisted on taking possession of one of the rooms in our house, and would not •eave it until she had extorted a heavy bril*c. There is more than a grain of tiutl: in this contention, and Russia is not the only country that has made us< of nnnivited assistance in order to sc cure material and permanent advant ages in China. Every great power ir 1 Europe has at one t'nie or another fish ' ed in these troubl'd waters. j Since the R*isso—Japanese war th: ' Chinese have not hesitated to display i epen hostility to the treaty of 1881 | winch th»v declare was ivrung from 1 then, by force nnd which they have nr ! intention of renewing except under pressure No sooner was peace madr ! between .Japan and Russia than th* ! Government in Pekin began to invidr ! die Rushan rights on the Sungari ; River. The excuse was that in th* ! treaty nf Portsmouth Russia gave tc 1 Japan the assurance that she ’t iaimed ' rn special privileges in China. This dis', flaiiner. according to Pekin logic, cover ! U; f '"’ treaty of 1881, with regard tr I wniiji Russia made no reservations in ‘ tec I crtsniouth negotiations. Rut Rus | sia re.used to accept this syllogism, and, his maintained her privileges on tin Sungari m suite of Chinese opposition In < imese Turkestan and Mongolia Ibe task liaslieen more difficult, as the methods adopted hr the Chinese Gov ernmeut and people have been mort subtle. It is the common habit of I*hi rope.iiis to regard the Chinese as chil 'lien and to treat them as such. The* arc looked upon not merely as lethargic i.’i.'gipable and indifferent, but also mTin :i chronic state of revolt against the op pression of local aiithoritie< But th* truth is begoHung to penctuite the peo pie ot the West that anarchv i, l!O I the prevailing condition in China: that; the people are not lacking in abiliti I <ien it they are Jacking in conscience I •incl that they can be stubborn and ex I acting in questions of individual rb'hts ! Russit* lias made this ,'liseoverv it; ! Mongolia and (l-isiese Turkestan. Hav | J ol .’ denouncing the treaty ' or 1881, the Chinese resorted to prac I tca measure- for restricting and final ; •y de*troyii,T the commercial and con ■ s iJiir comessiiins granted to theii ! reighbours. An active policy of eolonis I mg the westeri: was adopted.; " ’’ole tow ns were moved from the in toiler of Turkestan and Mongolia t( ; t’l** uuinda’ies T!:e nomad tribes werr 1 firiicn from their inland pastures and' torc'd t,.wards the Russian frontier ’* encouraged by grants ol 1 • ■■n.. ;>n.| or cattle to colonise these re I in wlmli Russian merchants havr ■itlii-i;*. to.in'l a profitable market. i I !i-* purpose ot ‘J,is colonising polici >- <■ n 1..,.- h i\ t() ■,"* i r i' a i‘ 111 T~<’* guiiisl by Russia’ • ' •• 'I. mill to redn-e tie treitv to ’ _ •* *ii s. mere than a few formal ' . Rus'inu men It.ints 'n,<l the!,,- , -h. - olstymt'd. at every turn, and ' • •Usi.in übx ct.- re-ideiit in Chim-se ter- i l*i.>r\ are deprived vf those extra t*-r- I 1 itoi nd rights u hi-b reiimve them from i A-,"' '<>n ot tli'' Chinese rotr-s I hi- is tin* substance oi the Russian I complaints th>t l ave l*-d to the ulti- ‘ nailin' troin St. Pet.i'sbiirg. Unless 1 the (i.inese authorities take instant ' *’.'|k t*. ri-move tle.-s ■ giievanees ar i to r.'sSo;.* the tr-aty or ]B-q t<. it- 1.-gi-tiniar. u-os Ru*s-;i will again send i troop, tn (xettpy the pipiincr of KiiM- i J • I Ihe (**iii.*s* de’end their action on I tli.- ground that Russia lia- persistently ; ■d.U'<d th*- prn ileges * f the treaty - tnat she has extended its concessions. * and by st'udinz a commission into Mongolia .iris given eviden'-;' or des; ;n; on Chine-e teriito'-v. Ti.e’’e i- al-o a strong * r.U'!>ie*on in Pekin that this vigoimi' i.roti'st t>.>n: stt. Petersburg is not i:-:- . conneetiil with a determination on the : part of Russia to renew the treaty of | 1881 whetjier China likes it or not.