SHANTUG DISPUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12760, 2 October 1919, Page 2

SHANTUG DISPUTE.

CHINISg VIEWPOSNT, *u- Dr^ n Yat Sen ' firsi ' President of the Chinese Republic, has issued the following statement to the peonlo of Japan, .sotting forth China's case in the present dispute between the two countries: "I will answer frankly the. questions put tn me by your represe.nta.tiw as to the underlying cause of China's deep ! animosity towards Japan, and as to the way w h)d> more harmonious rela- ' lions between these two countries could I be brought about. I "In the past I exerted mv?elf in' bring about a better understanding and j closer fnenuship between our two countries, but my efforts hare met with ut- ' ter ianure owing <<. the actions of the Japanese. Gotornment in abetting the traitorous Chinese officials to further their selfish ends and in thwart-big the efforts of the People's Party. The members ot the Minjrtang or People's Partv are comparable to your reformers of the Mcjj, Period. Through the efforts o your own reformers, Japan, once a. *tnail and weak country. h;, s become a strong ana prosperous nation. Our reformers, desiring to emulate the" of the Meiji statesmen in ! £i k\ l * morc Jnt-imate friend- I ship between our countries. Hut the imbtansus ot Japan, in the pursuit of t eir aggrandising imperialistic polirv, ?mr;L d,Sreg - a 7 led thn o x w p <;f their own reformcis, .uid comanVreo China merely as being m the path of feast resistance for the expansion of their territorial amb,tons A\ )t h the adoption of such an attum.o, harmony between our two countries i s unimaginable. "Tom- apologists declare that vou cannot understand why China should single out Jap™ for nor bitter h £™ when Japan i s not the only Power that adopts such an aggressive police towards China. What difference between this line of reasoning and the injured query of the younger brother who, alter leaguing himself with roboors to Plunder his elder brother's property inquires of the elder brother, U hero fore should you hate mo morn, than yon do the other robber?, fo r we are the same flesh and blood?' When Japan, hke the unnatural brother, preaches a bout racial affinitv and closer relations, the limit of China's endurance is reached. When Japan captured Tsingtau after her declaration of war with Genaanv, she solemnly declared to the world that she would return Tsmgtau to China—the rightful .>vraer. But as soon as China joined the Entente Powers. Japan secretly made n treaty with the latter Powers oy which she was recognised as the successor of the German rights in Shantung. As Japau was al?o instrumental in China's step of throwing in her lot with the Allies, it seemed apparent that Japan made this move solely in order that she might enjoy the profits of China's labour. What sort of transaction does this appear in the eyes of 'the Chinese? To make China work while Japan sits bv and enjoys the wa.ge s of China? " Such an act is Known in the expressive Canton colloquialism a.-: ' Mail chu-tai,' or selling' poached pigsThis terra originated a.fc the time when the countries of Poru, Chili and Cuba Licked pioneer labourers to ope* their wilderness. The toreign capitalists learning of the cheap and industrious labourers of China, and desiring to take advantage of it. sent out agents to obtain Chinese coolies for them. At that time China was still a secluded country, and l.cr Government forbade the 'exportation' of ber labourers- Thus the foreign n.gents could obtain them only through the port of Macao, which was rented to the Portuguese as a trading station. From this port many hundred thousands of Chinese coolies were ' exported' yearly to those countries, beguiled by promises of an El Dorado. " These poor coolies were treated •vorse than beasts of the field, and not only had they to perfonn hard labour, but they had to endure such cruelties and baibarities as flogging and killing by overseers with impunity. This trafficking of Chinese coolies was worse than any form of slavery' known to the Chinese. Slavery was too mild a term for it. so our forefathers ca.lled the victims of this trade ' chu-tsai ' or suckling pigs. The ' chu-tsai' is worse, off in position than the slave, for if the slave is laborious and obedient he has hope of good treatment and tho compassion of his master, but for the 'chu-tsai' there glimmers no such hope.. However, in th-se dark days of la-bour exploitation the 'chu-tsai' trader would not be willing to sell his own slaves to becorno labourers abroad, but he kidnapped an enticed those for whom he had no sympathy whatever. In the eyes of the Chinese this is characteristic of Japan also, for Japan Las morn consideration of Korea aiid Formosa than for China., for whom sho holds out no single vestige of pity, except to gain and rean whatever profit she could got, out of China. And for such treatment Japan expects China not to resent it. "If what has befallen China in this recent war bo taken as a precedent, then wherever a war occurs in the ful turo Japan could force us to join in, while she herself watches bv and enjoys the fruits thereof. This i s simplv treating China as her 'poached pig.'' the Macao 'pig-poachers' onlv sold their pigs' and pocketed their money from _ the foreign buyers, Japan by ordering China to join the Entente received the three groups of islands in the Pacific. But not content with this reward, Japan snatched awav from us bhantung, the most precious a.nd sacred of the egihteen provinces- This may Ikj compared to tho action of a pig-poacher ' who, after selling tho pig and pocketing tho money, sneakflesh from tho live animal. Is it to be wondered that bitter indeed are China's feelings towards Japan? apologists base Japan's claim ot It so, why did not Japan openly and fearlessly demand from the Entente Government* the rights to ShanW when her array took Tsmgtau. instead of underhandedly and secrettv concluding a treaty w,th the latter when China joined the. European War, bv *S Shantung , 8 &ven to j • pensation for countenancing China's participation in the war of the Allies i» China is not vet at least, a colonv of •Japan, but tho Japanese Government have virtually exercised the power of veto over China's movements, and thus gamed rewards from the Entente Governments. Ts not this the act of selling China as her ' chu-tsai' ? " The conflict of two distinct ideas brought abonfc the European War the idea of world domination and the'idea of selt-deternnnation of peoples The American and English troops recaptured from Germanv innumerable famous cities and historic towns in Europe which aggregated 100 times larger than Isingtau, and their sacrifices and sufferings m the war were a million times greater .than that of the Japanese vet every inch of these lands was restored by them to the rightful owners. If Japan entered tho European War on the side of the nations opposed to conquest, how could she demand the succession of German aggrandisement in China? Some have said that since .Uinta, has not achieved much for the Allied cause she should not covet Japan s^laurels. 'I It is true that China could not claim the laurels and glory in the Allied victory, but be it noted that although the Poles and Czechs accomplished very little in the war, yet their territories that were captured by Austria and Germany over 100 years ago were returned to them. Denmark remained throughout the war a neutral country. She had not lifted a hand to support the Allies, nevertheless her territories that wero captured by Germany sixty y«ars ago were vectored to

her. t Is it not- therefore reasonable and just for China to expect the unconditional restoration of Tsingtan? While the Japanese axe constantly advocating closer relationships between China and Japan on account, of racial a.ffinity and common literature, their treatment of China, is far inferior to the treatment accorded to ns by the Americans and the Europeans. *How could you expect us Chinese thun not to unite as a man to resist you aDd to adopt the policy of making friends with those afar and fight tbos" nearby, and, if necessary, to drag you down* to a common ruin? Thus the succession to German rights in Shantung is a prelude to the succession of Germany's downfall. Tf you mean what you profess, and are sincere in desiring the friendship of the.Chinese people, you should force your Govprnmeut to repent and abandon for all tiroes the policy of making China the victim of your territorial expansion. Unless this is done there will be no pea.ee in the Far East."