GERMAN TRICKERY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9641, 16 January 1903, Page 4

GERMAN TRICKERY.

4 STORY OF THE SHANGHAI EVACUATION TROUBLE. The correspondence concerning the evacuation of Shanghai has been published m a Parliamentary paper. From the contents of this paper one gathers I lie impression, which also seems to be thai of the British Government, that Germany had played a disingenuous part m making couditb'ns with the Chinese Government precedent to Hie withdrawal of her troops. The history of this diplomatic episode is, briefly, as follows : — In response to the requests of the Chinese authorities, the British. Government announced their willingness to evacuate Shanghai if the French, German, and Japanese troops ware also withdrawn. France, Germany, and Japan each agreed to withdraw their troops when the other foreign troops were withdrawn, reserving the right to reoccupy Shanghai if any aiw Power did so. ' The German Government attached a ! third condition, namely, that the Pekin Government and the. Yaiig-tsc Viceroys should engage not to grant any Power special advantages of a political, military, maritime, or economic nature, nor to allow the occupation of any other points commanding the river either below or above Shanghai. The British Government took exception to this condition, asserting that if it had any meaning at all it seemed specially directed against Great Britain. Prince. Clung denied hearing anything about the German, conditions, but Sir Ernest Satow wired to Lord Lansdowne* that the Chinese Government, had accepted the German demands. The British Government then informed Prince Ching that his action was deeply resented, that, by his duplicity they were compelled to reconsider their attitude, and they would not recognise any pledges jriven by the Chinese Government and Viceroy by which British freedom of action m the future, as regards the maintenance of order and protection of British interests m the Yang-ate region, would be limited. It would appear as a result of this notification that the Chinese Government extended the third condition to include not the Yang-ste Valley only, but the whole of China, and. gave Germany an assurance to this effect. This was communicated by the German Ambassador to Lord Lansdowne, who promptly informed him that his Majesty's Government were not a parly to such an arrangement, and did not consider themselves affected by it.