THE CHINESE REVOLT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 48, 21 February 1912, Page 7

THE CHINESE REVOLT.

From more than one point of view the revolution in China is of importance and interest to Great Britain and tier Dominions. In the Wai-hai-wei, Hongkong, Borneo, and the Straits Settlement (says “United Empire”), we are brought into actual and intimate contact with problems of Chinese'' administration which cannot fail to be affected by the great upheaval going on in the Empire itself. Then there are our trade interests, and the railway and mining enterprises in which so much British money is engaged. The position of Hongkong (with a population of over 408,000 Chinese in a total of 429,000) as a commercial and distributing centre would be enough in itself to make Chinese domestic politics of interest to us, for, without a stable central Government, the; vast Chinese Empire must fall to pieces, and may be a prey to foreign aggression. In any case, the great fabric of our Far Eastern trade must be disturbed, if not destroyed, by anything approaching a break-up in China. But the purely commercial aspect of the question is over-shad-owed by the possibility of a disturbance of that delicately poised balance of power in the Far East on which we have depended for the last decade. Such a result could not fail to affect all our Dominions, more or less directly, and would be felt immediately ‘by those to whom the mastery of the Pacific is a vital question. The, revolution is being worked by the educated classess, largely inspired by!‘foreign trained'men! It, litis the sympathy of practically j ,all : classes of Chinese, not so much on account of any oppressions or exactions of the Manchus, as because their weakness in -foreign relations has cost China largo Josses of . territory, : and • may cost her more. At the time of writing, 14 provinces out of 18 have declared for the reform movement, and as each is - a - fiscal' and judicial unit, Pekin has' no control ,bvch; them. Tpe Manchus seem to have -still a following in the north of China, chiefly, of Chinese - who think a limited monarchy would be better for their country than any form of Republic. But the: reformers of the centre and south declare that under no circumstances will they retain the Manchu dynasty, and no other hereditary dynasty seems available. It is probable that the centre and south will set up republics, while the north keeps the Manchus and sets up a constitution, but as the money comes chiefly from the centre and south, this is not a solution that could endure. It i» greatly to be feared that foreign Powers may make Chinese anarchy an excuse for intervening. The .interests of i Great Britain are bound up in China’s integrity, and for that reason we must hope that her people will be allowed to settle the question of their government themselves, for they will not permanently accept any other form.