RENDITION OF WEIHAIWEI
Who, having communicated their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed as follows:
Article I-The territory of Weihaiwel, as delimited by the boundary stones fixed by the Boundary. Commission of 1899-1901, comprising a belt of land 10 English miles wide along the entire coastline of the Bay of Weihaiwei and including Ljukungtao and all other islands in the Bay of Welhaiwei, is hereby returned by His Britannio Majesty to the Republic of China.“
Article 11-The Convention for the lease of Weihaiwel, concluded on July 1, 1898, is hereby abrogated.
Article III.-The British garrison now stationed in the territory of Weihaiwei, including Liukung tao, shall be withdrawn within one month from the date of the coming into force of the present Convention.
Article IV.-The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will hand over to the National Govern- ment of the Republic of China such archives, registers, title deeds and other documents in the possession of the British Administration in Weihaiwei as may be useful for the transfer of the administration, as well as those that may be useful for the subsequent administration of the territory by the National Government.
Article V-The Government of the United Kingdom will present to the National Govern- ment of the Republic of China all lands and buildings in the territory of Welhalwel belonging to the firstnamned Government.
Article VI.-The Government of the United Kingdom will hand over to the National Government of the Republic of China, with- out compensation, all works and purchases including the steam launch "Gallia," made under the special levy in respect of Victory Pier and the Wukou Improvement Scheme.
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Article VII-The Government of the United Kingdom will present to the National Government of the Republic of China the Chefoo-Weihaiwel cable and the Government stores, including those detailed in Annex I.
Article VIII-The Government of the United Kingdom will hand over to the Na- tional Government of the Republic of China free of charge the Civil Hospitals at Port Edward and Wenchuantang, including land and buildings and present equipment.
Article IX-The Government of the United Kingdom will return to the National Govern- Inent of the Republic of China all land previously owned by the Chinese Government on Liukungtao together with the buildings thereon, and will further hand over all the land subsequently acquired by purchase and all Crown leases in respect of sites in that island with the reversionary interest in the buildings on the land so leased.
Article X.The transfer of the administra- tion of Weihaiwei and the transfer of public properties in the said territory, as well as of other matters under the present Convention, shall take place on the day of the coming into force of the said Convention.
Article XI-When the National Govern- ment of the Republic of China assumes the administration of the territory of Weihaiwel after rendition the existing regulations, in- cluding land and house tax, sanitary and building regulations, and policing will as far as possible be maintained.“
Article XII.—All documents of title to land, deeds of conveyance and mortgage and Chihchao under the British Weihaiwel Waste Land Ordinance No. 6 of 1919, issued to Chinese owners by the British Administration of Weihaiwel in the form prescribed within the territory of Weihaiwei, shall, subject to the terms contained therein, be recognized as
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being of the same validity as during the British administration, unless the documents of title are contrary to Chinese law making revision or issue of additional documents of title necessary.
Article XIII.—All documents of title to land issued to persons other than Chinese by the British Administration of Weihaiwei in the prescribed form shall be exchanged for Chinese deeds of perpetual lease in the same form as those recently issued by the Chinese authorities to foreign lot holders in the former British Concession at Chinkiang, a registration fee of $1.00 per mow being charged.
All leases issued by the British Administra- tion of Weihaiwei will be recognised by the National Government of the Republic of China.
If the National Government of the Re- public of China should decide to close the port of Welhaiwei to foreign residence and trade, with a view to utilizing it exclusively as a naval base, the interests of the foreign property owners and lease holders will be bought out at a fair compensation to be agreed upon between the Governments of China and the United Kingdom who will appoint a joint commission for determining the amount of this compensation in encli
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Artiole XIV-Thin National Goverminent of the Republic of China will maintain the existing public services employing such staff as it may select, including particularly the telephone service on the mainland and con- nection with the island and the telegraph service between Weihaiwei mainland and island and Chefoo.
Article XV.-All decisions of the British Weihaiwei High Court or magistrates' courts pronounced before rendition” shall be con- sidered after rendition to have the same force and effect as if they were decisions rendered by Chinese Courts of Justice.
Article XVI. The National Government of the Republic of China will, unless and until they decide to close the port of Weihaiwel and reserve it exclusively as a naval base, maintain it as an area for international re- sidence and trade, including within such area all places in which foreign property owners and lease-holders aro at present located.
Article XVII.-Pending the enactment and general application of the laws regulating the system of local self-government in Oliina, the Chinese local authorities will ascertain thỏ views of the foreign residents at Welhalwol In such municipal matters as may directly affect their welfare and Interesta.
Article XVIII. The National Government of the Republic of China will, unless and until- they decide to close the port of Welhalwei and reserve it exclusively as a naval base, Icase to the Government of the United Kingdom free of charge for a period of 30 years, with option of renewal by the holders, certain land and buildings, in the territory of Weihai- wei, as detalled in Annex II, for the require- ments of the British Consulate and the publlo interests of the residents.
Article XIX-Existing aids to naviga tion, i.e. light-houses, markbuoys, storm slg: nals, etc., shall be transferred to the National Government of the Republic of China free of charge, and shall be maintained in the future by the competent Chinese authorities, who shall administer the harbour in the same way as at the open ports of China.
Article XX. The present Convention shall be ratified, and ratifications thereof shall be exchanged at Nanking on or before the first day of October, 1930, which is the first day of the tenth month of the nineteenth year of the Republic of China.