CHINA AND JAPAN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14937, 16 June 1919, Page 2

CHINA AND JAPAN.

In the Far Eiast political conditions are becoming sultry owing to China's dissatisfaction over tne terms of the Shantung setlement as agreed upon at fho Peace Conference. The Chinese have opened a boycott of Japanese goods, and shipping which is rapidly spreading through the country and the relations between the two nations have, evidently reached a condition of considerable strain. Under the settlement whioh is objected to all rights to Kia-Chau, formerly belonging to Germany, are transferred to Japan. While Japan voluntarily engages to hand ' back the Shantung Peninsula m full sovereignty to China, she is allowed 1 to retain the economic privileges formerly enjoyed by Germany, These privileges refer to the Tsing TaoOhman railway. 280 miles long, the mines connected with it and the two railways to beY built oonneoting Shantung with the two trunk dines from. Peking to tho Yangtse* valley. In addition Japan obtains the right to establish a settlement at Tsing Tao, and,, although the Japanese forces, it was understood, will be withdrawn from Shantung at th© earliest possible moment the employment of special railway police is permitted. The Chinese delegation at Versailles, when these terms were announced, lost no time m expressing disappoi^ment and dissatisfaction. "These German rights m Shantung," said one of the members, originated m an act of wanton aggressioi. ,m 1897, characteristic of Prussian militarism. To transfer these rights to Japan, a s t/he Council of Three proposes to do. is, therefore, to confirm an act of aggression which has been resented by the Chinese ever since its perpetuation. Such virtual substitution of Japan for Germany m Shantung is serious enough m itself, but it becomes grave when ' the position of Japan m Southern Man- j chun a and Eastern/ Mongolia is read m connection with it. Firmly intrenched on both sides bf the Gulf of Pc Chi Le, the water outlet of Peking, with a hold on. the threes trunk lines from Peking and connecting it with tihe rest of China, the capital becomes but an enclave. in the midst of Japanese iiifluence.' ,Moreover, owing to; China's -declaration of ■ wafc against the Central . Poivers, August i4, 1917, and. the, abrogation of all treaties and agreements between China and these powers; the German rights automatically reverted to. China. This declaration was officially notified to and taken cogni-J-nioo of by the Allied and associated Governments. It is, therefore, significant tliat the Council m announcing the settlement oi . the -Kiao-Chau-Shantungvquestion referred to the rights tp be tra|asf erred to Japan %s the rights formerly belonging to Germany.' It appears clear, then, that th© Council has been bestowing, om Japan the rights, not of Germany, but >f v.China.;, not of an - : enemy, but of an illy. The more powerful ally has reaped a benefit at the expense* hot of the: enemy but of the weaker ally. Besides, Shantung i s China's holy land, packed with memories of Confucius and Mencius and hallowed as the oradle of her civilisation. -If it is the intention if the Council to restore it, to China, it is. difficult to see on. what consideration ->f -principle or of expediency can be justified the transfer m the first instance to an alien power, . which then^'voluntarily engages' to hand it back! to the rightful owner. Japan baied.it claim for the German rights m Shantung ailsd wi the treaty and notes of 1915 and the notes of 1918 with China. ' It is to ' be noted, however, that the documents o£ 1915 were agreed to by China on coercion of an ultimatum^ threatening war m case of non-compliance With the twenty-one demands. The notes of 1918

were made hy China as. the price, for „ .'! Japan's promise to withdraw her troops, whose presence m the interior of Shan- \. tung, as well, as ' the establisliment off ... . Japanese civil administration bureaus hn,. the district, had. aroused such popular., opposition that th© Chinese Government X felt constrained to.m ake the* arrange- '•. ment. The Chinese '-, delegation • under- ;'. stands the Council was prompted by in© . fact that Great Britain and France hadi '« undertaken m February v and March, , 1917, to support at the Peace "Conferencethe transferring' -to v Japan of tne-Gernian' •'[ rights m Shantung. To none of these - seoret agreements was China a party nor :' was. she informed of their, contents, w^en .' invited" toY join the war against the Central Empires. The fortunes • of-€#difta-.-appear thus to have been made objects of ' negotiation and compensation _#fter she had allied herself with the Allied powers. If the Council has granted the . claims bf Japan m full for the purpose of saving the League of Nations, as it .' intimated! to be the case, China has/lessto complain of, believing, as she does, . that it is a duty to make sacrifices for • such a noble cause. She cannot, however, refrain from wishing that the Council had seen fit to call upon strong; , Japan to forego her claims, animated 1 . , by a desire for aggrandisement, instead of upon weak China' to surrender what . is hers by right. Great. will be the disappointment and disillusion of the Chinese people over the proposed settlement. If there "Is reason for the Council to stand firm on tli£ question of Fiume, there would seem to be all the more reason to uphold' the claim of China -relating to Shantung, which includes the future welfare of 36.000,000 souls and the highest interest of pence m the Far . East.", It would seem from the abovo that China has very strong cause for* „.' complaint. Though Japan's possession, of Kaio-Chau is stipulated as temporary, China*, fears not without xertson. t>bat. . wheiiaßie camel gets his head under the" tent the rest of his body will sooir.fbl. . low. It is possible that the ambitions, of the Nipponese will be satisfied v. ii they are permitted to exert their oner- - gies m developing the neglected resources! of this part of China, but- China f&ltfs ' that it means more— an actual suzerainty 7 , of the republic of China. ,' China ,]ias ' been made a pawn m the great game of World politics. \When the rights jof national equality -were denied her, mafrtly through President - Wilson's opposition. Japan threatened to bolt from the Peace Conference, and it was, only the sop of Shantung that kept her m. Little y consideration ispems to Ihave been given/ to the .welfare of China by .the negotiating parties, and -the lTourteei' Points did not act. . .'. :.. , .. - : , , V