THE STRUGGLE FOR MANCHURIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11867, 20 January 1902, Page 6

THE STRUGGLE FOR MANCHURIA.

STRONG PRESSURE ON CHINA. "." 1 Peris', December 16. , The Manchuriaii question has reached a j stage which best informed observers con- ( sider to be a crisis in China's history. The . Chinese Government. is beset between Rus- 1 sia on the one hand and Great Britain, the United States, and Japan on the other, t Th© Government is helpless,' and will yield J tc that faction able to bring the strongest i pressure to bear. t 1 Prince Ching is distinctly more friendly ] to Great: Britain than was Li Hung Chang. x The British, American, and Japanese repro- j sentatives here have separately visited Prince , Ching, and insisted that they shown-any treaty before it is signed. Prince Clung [ has submitted to them the draft of a treaty ' practically identical, to the treaty already a published. . . . c Prince Ching is now pressing Russia for I more definite terms, the present form of the j treaty being so vague in its important points 0 a3 virtually to leave Russia a free hand. J?h© Japanese Minister has taken a strong stand *' in the matter, and has notified Prince Ching that Japan will require concessions equivalent to all the advantages conceded tc Russia in Manchuria. : . * The belief is general that . Russia intends tc ignore what she regards' as mere formal s objections on tho'part of other Powers. Japan would go to i,he length of war to stop r the Russian occupation of Manchuria if she I were assured of support, but she will not risk li a repetition of the rebuff administered after c , the China-Japanese war. „ .• e.