King Country Chronicle. Thursday, March 3, 1932. A DRAMATIC TURN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3438, 3 March 1932, Page 4

King Country Chronicle. Thursday, March 3, 1932. A DRAMATIC TURN.

- I •The Sino-Japanese conflict in the Far East has taken a dramatic turn if the reported alliance between Russia and China is authentic. If the report is true it means one or two things: A more reasonable attitude on the part of Japan, which may lead to a temporary peace, or a war on a large scale, with Japan fighting the combined forces of China and Russia. If the war continues with Russia on the side of China the sphere of operations may again be shifted to Manchuria, and Japan's task will be more difficult than ever. Japan has not had the easy victory over the Chinese that she expected. The Chinese have put up a defence that has surprised the world. Up to the present Japan has chosen the field of operations, but should Russia link up with China this choice will not be with Japan. Russia is an unknown quantity as a fighting force, but there is every reason to believe that it will be a much more effective force than when Japan defeated Russia in the war of The

Chinese have also shown during the last few months that they are not to be despised as a fighting force. With the entry of Russia into the war Japan may be more disposed to listen to the League of Nations in an effort for peace. China, however, may now prove less amenable in any peace negotiations. She has no great love for Russia, but on the other hand, she has an intense hatred of Japan. Russia does not trust China, and China does not trust Russia, but both are willing to take a chance in combating the aggressiveness of Japan, the common enemy. If the alliance is finalised it seems certain that hostilities will again revert to Manchuria. Russia has no great interest in Shanghai in the meantime, but is heayily involved in Manchuria, which, it is reported, is to be constituted a New State under the former Manchu Emperor. In the meantime Russian troops are mobolising on the frontier, where there are a series of armed camps. The Soviet evidently means business, and some sensational developments may be expected in the Far East. It is reported that Japan has accepted the peace proposals of Great Britain and France, but it remains to be seen

whether these are acceptable, to China now that she has the offer of help from Russia. China is a buffer State between Russia and Japan, and the Chinese people see in the Japanese aggression a development of Western Imperialism. While the Nankin Government is not enthusiastic regarding the Soviet ambitions, there is a strong Communist element in China. There are Soviet and Communistic States and towns in China, in which the Russian policy appeals to the people. If the Soviet can convert China to this form of Government it will have gained tbe greatest , victory in its history, and at the same time create the greatest menace to the rest of the world.