Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1917. CHINA'S COMING IN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14283, 27 April 1917, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1917. CHINA'S COMING IN.

' The 'decision of • the' Chinese Government 'to, break off diplomatic relations' with Germany has not received qtiite the. attention it deserves^ It,, may seem a minor thing to us 'that ;. peaceful Chiiui,, remote from the field of convict' -m j H urope, should take sides against pui? enemies, .but anyone \vho has studied -the Eastern question iii' recent" ■ year's a'hd* Tinderstood- the enormous growth of German influenco ivi ifhe Easft. will realise that a .vit|ii "■ blow has been dealt to Teutonic aspirations by -tlu's latest access sioli !r to ; th© ..•AJlie.s.., -Not., ynly. ,-had the Germans t establishetl \ their colony ' «nd i strbftghoUV-at -JBaioclitiu, but. ..their ; mer- j cautile marine had securefl'-lpVa'cticaHy!' amonopoly of : China's coastwise .trade. , Peaceful penetration entered) far into the industrial and commercial Jif^i of China, andJ had • German - ambitions received full soope apostles of Kultur would . probably < have been teaching the Chinese ere this, as they have taught the natives of Africa, to regard, the Kaiser more or less as a deity. China's position m relation to the war has been ably explained! m an interesting article m the

Londou Observer by Mr S. C. Ching. Ihe war, he says, has not spared 1 China; m iact, its effects have been felt far and wide. "The ejection of the Germans lrom Kiaochow by the Anglo-Japanese troops early m the war was not an isolated incident, German propaganda and intrigue were constantly the cause of annoyance and trouble to her. German misrepresentations and misconceptions were atjtimes, attended by successin lact, as .a:! result, the Allied' caust was at first not at all understood by the Chinese.: -At: one time, too, tlie ill-feel-ing towards Japan, due to domestic political reasons produced impressions uniayorableto. the Allies. But as time went on the atrocities committed by the German armies wei^ convincingly exposed to the Chinese, anb 1 since then a sympathetic, tone towards the Allies has characterised „ the comments of the Chinese press. But sympathy, though it is there, has some difficulty m finding expression m action. China is not an armed State, and' her -industries are not yet organised.. She may be eager to throw m her lot with the Allies, but her lack of military strength may prevent her taking i definite steps. The rupture between America and Germany has, however, give her a splendid opportunity of testifying upon whose side she stands m the gieat ; battle betAveen right and wrong. Though not a great Power, China, considering her area and population, is a great nation. She is not. in,- a position to lead neutral States, but, she is prepared to fulfil her. duty as one, of them. As a Power whose delegates put their signatures ,to The Hague Conventions, she holds herself responsible for their maintenance and she cannpt connive at any. trampling' of them '•under-i loot by brute force, . Hence the sense of moral responsibility ,is not ' the . least of the considerations which have impelled the chiefs of my country to break off 'friendly relations •. with' Germany. A propelling factor iif /her action, I doubt not, is. the' Confucian that "to see good and" hot to do;it-'is".a want of courage." Not possessing an oceanic shipping industry, China is not affected m any direot Way'by the unlimited submarine warfare. But a 'violation of the freedom of the seas may have a very direct effeat on the life and safety of her citizens. Thousands of 'Chinese sailors have been employed m foreign marines, British, French, Dutch, American, and Japanese. Since the war began many of them have fallen victims to submarines .and mines, and the survivors have- always been illtreated by the commanders of the German submarine Vessels. As to the services that China might render -to; the j Allies if -there should be developments from the diplomatic break, suggestion, says the writer, is premature First ofall, much depends 6n the attitude of the United States. If America becomes active m military and naval operations, China, will. assist the Allied armies and navies to. the utmost extent of her capacity. China has a standing army of about 800,000 . strong,' who were created and trained by her Tat© President, Yuan. Shih-Kai. when Vioeroy under the old Manchu Dynasty. They ttre strong and audacious men and will fight well if t&ey are well equipped and under good command. Her na^y, .though small arid not up to date, may be -useful in-co-operat-J ing with the Japanese fleet' ; t6 patrol the Eastern, seag. Her , most significant -asset is the mahrpower she can introduce fj>r auxiliary work. Five thousand ' jCjhinese laßprers have^ already -.been ; employed fey. France toy pr.pdu.ee . munitions, and. the shortage of labor m the. .Allied countries* provided! the wording populations should acquiesce, ' might) be met with CHiriese labor. When China has become an ally, it -will be easier to regulate the introduction of Qhinese laborers so as to remoyb some of the objections taken .to their presence m European countries. Moreover, m view of the enormous riches China possesses, she might proliuoe ; useful articles for the 'Allies provided? managerial "ability and skilled labor are supplied to her. 'One thing, perhaps not unimportant, China can immediately do: she can stop remitting to the German Government its share of the Boxer indemnity which is exacted by the Powers from China as a punishment for her failure to suppress the Boxer rebellion against foreigners. The "share due to Germany is ab6«t £500,000 a year, and up till now this sum has been regularly remitted to Berlin. A suspension of the payment of interest and dividends on loans where Germans are concerned would also be ai financial loss to the Germans. Moreover, German commerce m the East, which before the war' had begun to Vival the British ascendancy, will now receive a serious check. Above all these considerations one thing stands out as significant. Heretofore China has never had an ally, and m any diplomatic: aontroversy sue is always left to the mercy of more developed Powers., This leads to jealousy among the great; European nations, and the principle, of the balance of power has to be extended to the Far East. With China's entgy into the Entente . Alliance, she will m future receive co-operation from "the other nations, especially the Englishspeaking ones. The weakness of an iso.r lated Chiria^ will then be removed arid' the scrambling for concessions on .herterritory, will- be replaced 1 by gopdiWilV and . good offices. . This will remove ,'o'rie; risk ,of a / world , conflagi-ation .m J;he' future., "The s importance . of the action of my country," writes Mr Cheng, "tj'ahriot be emphasised 1 too mudh m one particular at least. No scheme for maintaining the future peace of the wor}d, can be secure if it' excludes one-fourth, of the world's population., especially* a" people constantly' h'i\ course of change,' who cannot but influence :'moi&"and 'more 1 the politics of the nations. ' With their entry into the Entente 'Alliance, the prospect of the world 00-bperation becomes decidedly ' brighter. Herein lies the chief, eigni.fican.ee,. of. China's, sever- . ance with, Germany, both ! for herself and for the rest 9/ the world." >