The Star. THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 1900. THE CRISIS IN CHINA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6827, 21 June 1900, Page 2

The Star. THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 1 900. THE CRISIS IN CHINA.

Public attention, which for nearly a year has been concentrated on the all-absorbing topic of South African affairs, has lately been diverted to China. The situation in tihat country, which a week " ago was serious enougih to arouse apprehensions of the most gloomy kind, has since grown graver. The Boxers' rebellion has spread until it has assumed proportions which almost dignifies it as a national uprising against all foreigners. Fortunately, the Powers were not altogether unprepared fox this outburst of popular, fury, and on the Chinese beginning to mas9 troops on, the banks of the Taku River the admirals of the combined fleets stationed at Tientsin ordered them to desist. The order was neglected, and an hour before the expiration of the time allowed for the Chinese to withdraw, ;tihfi Taku forts opened fire. ; A hotlycontested action ensued, and resulted in the destruction , : of some of_!the forts and, tihe rout of the occupants. Up to this, point the news received was most satisfactory, but later came intelligence to the effect that the foreign Legations in Pekin had been stormed), and also that the French Consul-Gene-ral at Yunnan had been captured. The repout concerning .the Legations is still unconfirmed, and has actually been contradicted, although not on the most trustworthy evidence. It is to be hoped, most sincerely, that it is untrue, beoanise, as long as tihe Chinese remain in their present frame of mind, they are cot Lkely to treat foreign prisoners with undue leniency. Meanwhile, • the foreign Governments are taking action on land as well as at. sea, and are pouring troops into China as rapidly as possible. Great Britain has ordered battalions to proceed from Hongkong and India, and the United States is "despatching a force of her seasoned regiments from Manila. A large body of French soldiers is about to; leave Taigon, and Germany is also landing men. But the principal burden of the operations on land will probably rest on Japan and Russia. The latter na'fcion has already placed: 10,000 men in tibe field, and. Japan is landing an equal number,- and as Russia has expressed her determination to supplement her army by 5000 additional troops, it :s likely that her example will be. followed by h«r Eastern rival. Russia and Japan are bound, of course, to' watch each other very closely, in order tfoat the one shall noi ■ gash any material advantage over the other, As yet there have been no visible signs tha.: the pair are not acting in concert with oji< another and the other Powers. The Chinese, it is true, assert that they are receiving assistance from the Russians, but we tak' leave to doubt this statement. ' Moreover, tli French Minister of Foreign Affairs ha* affirmed that neither Russia nor any other nation has taken up arms with a view od conquest, but merely for the purpose oi compelling the Chinese to realise .that:thej niust respect treaties which they arrang. witlh the citizens of the Western countries. M. Delcasse may have made. this statement under the conviction that it is correct. But entering into war simply to force her enemy to respect treaties is not a custom whic] Russia usually adopts. Time alone will shoV what will happen, Gut we venture to assert nevertheless, that not a few students o' • Foreign politics will be found bold enougl fo predict that the present situation is th. forerunner of the disintegration of China and that when this event happens Russia': share of the spoil will be a very large one