NOTHING TO CHINA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 24 January 1942, Page 6

NOTHING TO CHINA

PRESENT MILITARY REVERSES CONFIDENCE NOT SHAKEN -1 AN POWER AT DISPOSAL OF ALLIES (Rec. 1.40 p.m.) Rugby, Jan. 23. The military situation in China is described by the Chinese Ambassador in London, Mr Wellington Koo, as satisfactory. Anxiety there was, but China had been up against overwhelming odds for years and military reverses here and there “are nothing to us.” said Mr Koo. "We have gone through all this long period confronted by reverses and we know in what proportion to look upon them. So that even though the situation in Malaya, the East Indies and the Philippines is somewhat disquieting it is not of a character to shake our confidence.” Analysing the situation in China Mr Koo said there were four or five sectors m which fighting was taking place. There were two regions in the Yangtse Valley, one north of Changsha, which had now been reduced to a clearing up situation, and then north-west of Hankow. where fighting was still going on. South of Shanghai Chinese, mainly guerrillas supported by regulars, were harassing the Japanese with a view to recovering important places there. West of Peking, on the borders of Chadhar in Inner Mongolia, there was fighting. Around Canton fighting had more or less died down for the time being. Mr Koo said an International Burma Road —a shorter route much further north—was under construction. About a third was already made and open to traffic from Chungking to the borders of south-eastern Tibet. The southwestern part was very mountainous. Referring to Chinese help to the common cause Mr Koo said: "We have made known that China’s resources are at the disposal T>f the other allies, and naturally that included our manpower. UNIFIED ARMY ..China."he said, “is able to produce lighter war material, but not sufficient heavier equipment. She has no aircraft factories but has assembly plants and still depends on abroad for engines and motor cars.” Mr Koo declared that one of the reasons whch accounted for the strength of China's ability to resist Japan for so long was that the army had been entirely unified and become a national instrument under one command. —U.P.A.