THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1928. CHINA'S NEW GOVERNMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20074, 11 October 1928, Page 10

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1928. CHINA'S NEW GOVERNMENT.

After seventeen years of chequered fortunes, the Chinese Republic as-

sumes a new importance in the world by the elevation of Marshal Chiang Kai-shek, long prominent in the Nationalist cause, to the presidency. Personally, he is an attractive figure. Described as an enigma in both the military and the political spheres in which he lias been active, ho nevertheless has better claims to office, so far as the out-

side world can judge, than any other Chinese leader. He is distinguished by a positive quality of character entitling him to the respectful heed, if not the full confidence, of the Powers with interests in China, and none seems so likely to weld the warring elements so long at odds throughout the republic. To the close observer of Chinese affairs,

the apparent inconsistency in his attitude to Russian influence from time to time is by no means inexplicable. In the earlier stages of the Nationalist revolt he availed him-

self of that influence as a lever to

remove obstacles to his personal advancement ; then, placed in supreme command of tho Nationalist forces, he openly denounced tho Bolshevik envoy and threw his strength against the foreign invasion. This change of front, successful for a while in stemming the Communist torrent threatening to turn the Nationalist revolt aside from its saner purpose, brought him soon into disgrace . with the Southern faction ready to go all the way with Red intrigue. He suffered deposition from his command rather than yield to the temptation to put himself under obligation utterly to the Soviet Union, and went into a political wilderness to bide his hour.

It has come. No longer is he either the mere head of a revolt within a revolt or even the restored com- ! mander of the whole Southern host, but the dominant personality in all China, in so far as his country has attained unity. Apparently, the nationalism struggling to realise and express itself has had in him a truly loyal exponent. To serve that end he readily accepted foreign aid —until to lean upon it any longer would have made his patriot cause dangerously dependent and ineffective.

If this reading of his aim be accurate —and no other does justice to all the known facts —he will bring to his high office a strength of purpose calculated to put a more hopeful completion on the affairs of the republic. Its period of trial is. by no means over. It will take many a day to put China's house,in order. The nation's finances arc in a chaotic state. Brigandage and contempt of law have been so long rampant that they will not easily be put down. Tg organise conflicting elements into a co-operating union and to develop neglected natural resources will make largo demands on tact and energy. More difficult still is the task of ridding legitimate national aspirations of the blind antipathy to foreigners and the connivance with Bolshevik plotting that have threatened to s'muthcr what is undoubtedly good in the Kuomintang programme. But in Chiang Kai-shek's patient holding to that programme is the promise that at least the task will be attempted. He may not be able to harmonise the cause of national revolution as Dr. Sun Yat Sen directed it for forty years, and the readiness to be at peace with foreign Powers which is no less essential to China's progress and prosperity ; yet lie is bound to try. The "thirty-three points of the Kuomintang policy," as declared on a former national day of the republic, do not demand any abandonment of treaty relations with other Powers. They specify the abolition of "unequal" freaties and thendrawing up anew with due regard to recognised principles in ordinary international affairs, and they look to the restoration of tariff autonomy and kindred national rights. They put in the forefront, however, the establishment of an effective, united Government, and when once tins is securely accomplished the rfcst of tho aims will lie in order. This sequenco is in perfect keeping with the attitude of tho treaty Powers. It has been China's obvious inability hitherto to implement any international undertaking that has retarded review of the treaties. If the new order now announced as to tho personnel of the Government be followed by an actual accomplishment of domestic efficiency, tho international readjustment will be easy.

There has been difficulty in giving effect to the political plan announced in the thirty-three points. "When the military situation has settled down," ran the declaration, "a preliminary meeting will bo called to make preparation for a final people's conference, with a view to solving ' f fjpWefr's of the country, and to establishing a united Government."

No such conference has been summoned. Presumably, like many paper projects, this one was found wanting iri practicability when tlie occasion offered for giving it effect. Instead, there has been reported a prolonged conference of the Nanking Government, this resulting in the formulation of a scheme of live councils—legislative, administrative, judicial, supervisory and central political. The scheme has not been submitted to any democratic assembly, but to a select group of prominent, officials of,.the- Kuomintang. including Chiang Kai-shek. In this there has been a distinct departure from a main plank in the Kuomintang platform, and the onus of justifying this in the eyes of "the people's party," to say nothing of the people as a whole, now lies upon the new Government. This, no doubt, it will proceed to do. But it runs the risk of objection raised by malcontents possibly disgruntled by exclusion from coveted office. These will have a theoretical basis of protest in the ultra-democratic preamble of tho party's declaration of policy. An early test of the new Government's claim to represent all China is therefore to be undergone. Should it emerge safely from this test, tho Government can hope to introduce a salutary regime.