BRITAIN AND JAPAN

Otago Witness, Issue 3511, 28 June 1921, Page 21

BRITAIN AND JAPAN

TREATY TO BE RENEWED. WASHINGTON, June 22. The State Department has authoritatively informed Japan that she will be notified before the end of the month that Great Britain intends to renew the alliance, and th%t she intends proposing an amendment making it plain that Britain will not take part in a possible United States-Japanese war. Britain contends that this is already clear, but she will mention tile United States by name in order to remove any doubt. DANGER OF ASIATIC CRISIS. PARIS, June 22. The Petit Parisien, referring to AngloJapanese relations, says : If the alliance is renewed there will be a risk of annoying China, whose relations towards Japan are not as good as they might be. China does not hide her desire to see the end of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. On the other hand, a refusal to renew the alliance without having a complaint against Japan would cause an Asiatic crisis of the greatest gravity. It is to be hoped that the British dominions will show their political sense in this matter. AU .SIR, ALIA ’ S ATT ITUD E. LONDON, June 22. Mr Simpson, political adviser to China, whose nom de plume is “Putnam Weale,” questioned by an interviewer on the effects resulting to Australia from an Anglo, Japanese alliance, said that China was much surprised and dismayed to find Australia officially supporting a renewal of the Alliance. Australia at least understood the difference between the Chinese and Japanese character, and should be as anxious to have China’s friendship as that of Japan. It was true that the renewal of the Alliance would mean Japanese assistance in policing the Pacific, but China never thought Australia would be satisfied, much less pleased, to leave the task to Japan. The renewal would be regarded in China as an indication of friendliness for Japan, and unfriendliness for China. China was on the threshold of commercial and industrial expansion. She was buying at present in America, and would continue to do so if the Alliance were renewed. Australia knew what the <%inese arid Japanese trade meant to her. Japan was out to sell goods to Australia, and China was out to buy from Australia, if she were friendly and helped China, but would buy from America if Australia allied herself with Japan. China was not likely to buy from Australia if she believed the money would be used to buy from Japan, thus helping the latter to build up an army and navy and commercial suuremacy.