INDEPENDENCE OF MANCHURIA DECLARED.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIII, 17 May 1922, Page 5

INDEPENDENCE OF MANCHURIA DECLARED.

EMBARRASSING TO JAPAN. Tokio, May 16. Word has been received that Chang Tso Lin has declared th e independence of Manchuria and Mongolia, and hag requested the recognition by the Foreign Office. Tokio is not officially inclined to scout the news, but nevertheless it is known that such a move on the part of the Mukden war lord was not unexpected in official circles.. If it proves true, Chang’s move will be embarrassing to Japan, whose most important Chinese interests centre in Manchuria.

DECLARATION IMPORTANT FRUSTRATES CHINA’S PLAN. Pekin, May 16. Chang Tso Lin’s declaration is par ticularly important, as the independence of Manchuria and Japanese influence there, in conjunction with th e Japanese maritime province of Kamchatka, practically cuts off Soviet Russia from the Far East. Furthermore, the Chinese hope of regaining control of Mongolia by peaceful means may now be frus-’ trated, as it is unlikely that the Russian forces there will be withdrawn unless Chang Tso Lin is first suppressed.