END OF RIGHTS?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23894, 23 August 1939, Page 12

END OF RIGHTS?

FOREIGNERS IN CHINA ATTITUDE OF ASIATICS -, . M CONCESSIONS " RESENTED The Japanese blockade of Tientsin ordinarily would be regarded by most of the Chinese as a quarrel between tv/o interlopers. In recent years particularly, the foreign " concessions " at various important centres have been resented and resisted by the Chinese; who have demanded their cancellation (stated a writer in the Melbourne Age recently). As Japan is now the aggressorinvader, however, and the general question of foreign rights in China stands in abeyance, there will be no question of China's attitude in the dispute between Britain and Japan. Moreover, one of the immediate issues is the fate of the four Chinese whose surrender by the British authorities is demanded by Japan. Foreign financial interests in the Far East generally, and in China particularly, are enormous. Large fortunes have been made by virtue, to a very great extent, of the extremely favourable trading privileges which various Chinese Administrations have, during the, past 100 years, granted to the foreigners who desired to operate in their territory. These facilities took many forms, but, as a foundation for trading, the Chinese would allocate a portion of some city, which became the foreign "concession," and subsequently such " concessions " have been referred to as "international settlements-"

Within those concessions the foreigner is his own master, and is subject to the jurisdiction of his own Government's representative. He did not even have to pay income tax to the Chinese Government, but the Chiang Kai-shek regime is altering that very peculiar position by making all foreigners pay taxes just as all Chinese have to pay them. Until six months ago, however, the foreigner was not obliged to pay this tribute, "Anomalous" Concessions

Now comes the news that the Japanese are taking a high hand in the matter of privileges, which have been enjoyed by the foreigners m the "treaty ports"' and in the , concessions." A treaty port is similar to a concession for all practical purposes. The Japanese have always claimed that any concessions to.tne white foreigner were anomalous in a self-governing democracy like China, and the Tokio Government has not hesitated to make propaganda cap il a J out of the slogan, "Asia for the In 1936 the Japanese sent goodwill missioned to the main trading centres of China to goad the Chinese into action against the so-called white master." The Japanese diplomats were not entirely successful, and a lew months later the Sino-Japanese undeclared war started. Next to America, British Interests are greatest in China, and then comes Japan. In Tsmgtao, -for which was before the World . War .a treaty port ceded by China to uermany, and after the war was cedeoVby the Allies to Japan, the Japanese-had established the greatest textile mills in rhina The physical asset was, SseS at a £ WOO When the Japanese x were' making tbeir big drive south last year the Chinese appropriated portion of that asset, and the portion of it that was not movable they dynamited. ' ■_,: \y.v--\ In Tientsin, Peking,. Amoy, Swatow; and Canton, notably, the Japanese had invested on an enormous scale, ana,; because they are, Asiatics, and neigh-, boursethey have always: it is their right/to enjoy certahi; trading privileges without being 'subjected, to competition by: the white foreigner.. Chiang Takesv a Hand , : In Shanghai, for instance, the Japanese were able so to impress the other foreigners in this most important .concession' that ■ the international .settlement *of China's principal trading, metropolis was by 1935 virtually under; the control of the Japanese. As but, one instance of the Japanese influence in the once free-for-all concession in Shanghai, a Japanese was appointed to the very important post of press censor, which post carried with it power to censor not only what was. .submitted for publication in Shanghai, but also what correspondents hoped to send to their papers and services outside China. Naturally, things were not shaping according to the desires of other foreign interests in China, and they were showing signs of resentment at the Japanese attitude when the Chinese themselves took a hand, an£ a strong hand at that, for it was the hand of Chinug himself. , _, . As far back as 1926, when Chiang Kai-shek became generalissimo for the first time, he gave a pledge to his followers that he would not relax his efforts to rid China of foreign exploiters and make China, .in fact a self-governing and sovereign State. This cry was " China for the Chinese. There are 470,000,000 of them. In Chiang's manifesto, which he has never altered, there is a pronouncement on the concession, question generally. The leader points out that such concessions were made at times when China was not being properly governed, and when the writ of the Government did not run in many areas, so that trading was hampered, and foreigners baulked at the enormous risks they had to take to do any business at all. So far. so good, admitted Chiang, but with the establishment of sound administration, with the proper policing of the whole country, with the stabilising of the currency and the suppression of piracy, surely the time had come when China could be relied upon to take good care of everyone within her territory, and this she guaranteed to do by international agreement. Foreigner Unimpressed The foreigners, however, were not impressed, though the British attitude was undoubtedly the most reasonable. Bhiefly, it was: Yes, China, we admit your claims for complete sovereignty in your own territory, and we are. willing to come under your jurisdiction in most things/ But we cannot submit to your judicial system, which, as yet, is not in codified form, nor is your jurisprudence defined. Put your judiciary in order and we will then submit to you in every particular. To that, Chiang Kai-shek offered no objection, but he was careful to reiterate time and again that the day of the " concessions" had closed, and it could never dawn again in that form, although he did indicate that reciprocal trade treaties might be so arranged as to make the abrogation of the concession privilege not such a very great hardship. Thus, with Japan trying to trade on the policy of "Asia for the Asiatics, Chiang Kai-shek came back strongly with the much more popular policy "China for the Chinese." Some of his followers have gone further than that, for they have declared that the moment the SinoJapanese conflict is over they will sweep away every concession they granted. In this they are supported by Russia. Under the Tsar, Russia had extensive interests in China, but after the revolution the Soviet gave up every concession, maintaining that they wanted the Chinese to be supreme in their own land. With the development by Chiang of a strong national sentiment, the general antagonism to special privileges for foreigners has increased, or, rather, it had increased up to the outbreak of the present war.

Simply and shortly, the position can fairly be stated thus—concessions, like the " white master," are out of date in that great Asiatic country, and whatever Japan may do to-day for her own advancement on Chinese soil will be undone to-morrow. It may be a very distant to-morrow, but the Chinese, with a cultural background of 5000 years, do not measure time as Westerners do. '