JAPAN AND CHINA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21994, 1 July 1933, Page 6

JAPAN AND CHINA

A MISSIONARY’S VIEWS The following is an extract from a New Zealand Missionary’s letter which has come from the troubled area of North China to the local China Inland Mission secretary:—“ I have to thank you for a copy of the Otago Daily Times, to hand some little time ago, Wc like to see ;a paper occasionally for it keeps us in touch with home affairs. No doubt in your paper you will see alarming accounts of what is taking place in North China, but so far as we are concerned there is no need to fear. The Chinese have put up no fight at all. They simply ran before the Japanese, and the province of Jehol went over more or less quietly to the invaders. All our missionary friends were kept in peace and they are able to carry on their work without hindrance. At the moment Japan is knocking at the door of Peking, and if the Chinese are sensible they will come to some terms and stave off the humiliation of having their former capital fall into the invaders’ hands. Avarice and perfidy are at the back of all the trouble. China has been ‘ pin-pricking ’ Japan for years and seemed to think that the foreign Powers would not allow Nipon to deal with the matter, hence they made no attempts to set their house in order. Matters have not worked out according to plan and now China finds herself stripped of territory and with no prospect of getting it back. In the first place, she forcibly took this northern territory from the Manchus, so it is a case of the conquered regaining their own. Personally, I believe the upshot of it all will end in the Eastern Alliance, with the slogan ‘ Asia for the Asiatic.’ Possibly India might join in and it will be a case of East against West. I am thankful to say that the upset is not interfering with missionary work to any great extent, but in not a few places there is a spirit of inquiry and a willingness on the part of the people to listen to the message of the Gospel.” Mr and Mrs J. Duthie (from New Zealand) arc safe and well in Jehol. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce sought Mr Duthie’s aid to help them in arranging to hand over their city to the Japanese,