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November 11, 1907.)
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE ANGLO-RUSSIAN CONVENTION.
It has been
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British trade; in doing so, they have no desir to exclude the legitimate trade of any other Power.
and
Persia's integrity and independence is Powers, who delimit the areas adjoining mutually recognised by the contracting their boundaries in which they will leave ach other a free hand with regard to political
commercial avoiding competition. The status quo in concessions, Afghanistan is affirmed, with Great Britain's Russia resigns all pretensions to meddle paramount influence amply recognized. there, and Britain promises not to attempt
any
(Daily Press, November 5th.) It has been noted before how the cause of race is being served by the multiplication of ententes and conventions. The way all the Powers are now amicably involved would seem to be the surest guarantee against avoidable war The extremists who pin treaties have failed in the past to prevent their faith to the Hague idea! will say that war, but that is a cheap argument, and applies with equal force to arbitration and the reduction of armaments.
such intrigues as have been alleged, pointed out repeatedly that under the most
with some reason, against Russia in the past. There is, moreover, to be the open the Powers would have to maintain forces concerning China, we are most particularly complete arrangements for international law
door for trade. In Tibet, with which, as to deal with such of their number as might repudiate, in certain circumstances, their
interested, both Powers recognize the submission to such an international tribunal. absolutely alone, entering into no negotia
suzerain rights of China, and agree to let it In brief, as we said during the opening tions except through China. This engage- stages of the last war, international lawment does not exclude the direct relations necessitates an inter ational police forc: to between British Commercial Agents and the enforce it. It is not war in general, then, Tibetan authorities provided for in Art. V that should be preached against, but the of the Convention between Great Britain easily avoidable conflicts, such as the one and Tibet of the 7th September, 1904, and which the irresponsible Press of America confirmed by such as the halfpenny ghouls of Fleet Street would like to precipitate with Japan, or periodically dream of among the Europe Powers. These mischief makers ought to he completely foiled by the international arrangements of the last year or two. ment, which may, we trust, for a long time Intest example is the Anglo-Russian agree. lay the bogie on the frontiers of our Indian Einpire, and supplement the Anglo-Japanese be patriotic Britons who will regret the Treaty in a very effective way. There will
expense of pulling the Tibetan chestnut out Bri'ish interests in Persia have been suffi of the fire for China, and who will doubt if
but on the whole it is a comfortable settle-concessions whatever. ciently emphasised by this understanding: ment of a group of troubles that leaves the Government's hands free to Young India and the KEIR HARDIɛ crew, There is still the question of British in- terests in the Persian Gulf, but while the agreement holds good, there stema suall likelihood of friction arising on that leal. which Sir EDWARD GREY thus notes in a Russia has made an important admission despatch to Sir A. NICOLSON:
of the country. If the Chinese with all their shrewdness and knowledge of their own countrymen are unable to deal with them, the chances of any foreign govern- ment, however good, being able to do so are at least very problematical. Our experience in this respect in the Straits Settlements, with the "Ghee-Shing" and "To-Pei Kong" societies is certainly not encourag- ing, and the difficulty there is, of course, infinitesimal as compared with the ex- tensive secret societies in China itself, whose force might be directed against any foreign conqueror as it is now exerted against the Chinese Government. This difficulty has of late become appreciated to something like its true extent by European nations; but it is by no means the only one which stares them in the face. A partition of China, though it might be effected amicably among foreign nations at the time, would before long be come a constant source of friction and jea- lousy among the foreign nations themselves, and, in this way would lead to a danger of the disturbance of the peace, far more serious than any that is likely to arise through the fault of the Chinese Govern ment, even as it now is. These and other considerations of the same kind have very much reduced the attractiveness of a policy of annexation in China; and the feeling at the present time is adverse to any such idea. There is, of course, the danger that under such circumstances, an opening might be left for Japan to do what European nations are wisely averse to attempting. Under such circumstances, the conventions which have been arrived at with Japan, as to respecting the integrity of China, are manifestly in the interests of peace, at all events for many years to come. The surprise perhaps is that Japan should have been so ready to enter into such understandings, which, if China, as is so much suspected, are manifestly she harboured any ideas of annexations in a restraint upon her. Why the Chinese should have objected to conventions, which are so obviously to her advantage, it is very difficult to understand. The effect of them is to give her every opportunity of effecting the improvements in her interual admini- stration, which she declares herself ready to inaugurate, but they render it necessary for her to make a genuine effort in this direction, and to honestly face the danger to her integrity which has so long existed and which is within and not without. If the internal administration of China is gradually improved she will be able to hold her own and to maintain her position among the nations of the world. The only thing that will prevent this would be another great rising such as the Tai Ping Rebellion which would break up her integrity from within; and of this she is fully aware. This danger can be averted by reasonable reform honestly undertaken. It need not wholly be after a foreign pattern, but it must be so to the extent of removing the just causes of complaint on the part of the people, in the form of arbitrariness, venality and corruption, which have all along been far greater enemies to China and have far more threatened her integrity and independence than any foreign nation ever has been or is at all likely to be in the present day.
The gentry and merchants of Siangtau,
Hunan. have subscribed one million taels t enable the proposed Kusiyu-n to Changsha Railway to connect with Siaugiau. 'The original survey did not include Siaugian in the proposed line and as this would put the trade of the city behind the others, the geutry and merchants promptly subsɔribel the mousy to connect their city by rail with the pro- vincial capital.
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The Arrangement respecting Persis is limited to the regions of that country touching the re- spective frontiers of Great Britain and Russia iu Asia, and the Persian Gulf is not part of those regions, and is only partly in Persian territory, It has not therefore been considered appropriate to introduos into the Convention a positive declaration respecting special interests po sessed hy Great Britain in the Gulf, the result of British action in those waters for more thau a hundred years.
His Majesty's Government have reason to be Įlieve that this question will not give rise to difficulties between the two Governments should sion affecting British interests in the Gulf developments arise which mak- further discus
necessary.
For the Russian Governm nt have in the curse of the a-gotiations leading up to the conclusion of this Arrangement explicitly! stated that they do not deny the special in
terests of Great Britsia in tae Persisu Gulf-s statement of which His Majesty's Government ' have formally taken note.
In order to make it quite clear that the pre. sent Arrangement is not intended to affect the
position in the Gulf, and does not imply any change of policy respecting it on the part of Great Britain, His Majesty's Government think it desirable to draw attention to previous de. clarations of British policy, and to reaffirm generally previous statements a to British interests in the Persian Gulf and the importance; of maintaining them.
His Majesty's Government will continue to direct all their efforts to the preservation of the status quo in the Gulf and the maintenance of
the Convention between
1906; nor does it modify the engagements Great Britain and China of the 27th April, entered into by Great Britain and China in Article I of the said Convention of 1906. It is clearly understood that Buddhists, subjects of Great Britain or of Russia, may religious matters with the DALAI Lama and enter into direct relations on strictly the other reprezentatives of Buddhism in Tibet; the Governments of Great Britain and Russia engage, as far as they are con cerned, not to allow those relations to infringe the stipulations of the present arrangement, The two Governments re- spectively engage not to send representatives
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to Lhassa, and to refrain from obtaining any Britain reaffirms the Declaration, signed by In an annex, Great
his Excellency the Viceroy and Governor ratification of the Convention of the 7th General of India and appended to the September, 1904, to the ffect that the Occupation of the Chumbi Valley by British forces shall cease after the payment of three annual instalments of the indemnity of 25,000,000 rupees, provided that the trade Convention have been effectively opened marts mentioned in Article II of that
for three years, and that in the meantime the Tibetan authorities have faithfully com- plied in all respects with the terms of the said Convention of 1904. It is clearly understood that if the occupation of the for any reason, not been terminated at the Chumbi Valley by the British forces has,
time anticipated in the above Declaration, the British and Russian Governments will enter upon a friendly exchange of views on this subject. Meanwhile, for three years, against trouble, all scientific expeditions and apparently as
40 extra precaution
into Tibet are to be discouraged,
CHINESE RAILWAY SCHEMES.
(Daily Press, November 6th.) But a few days ago we spoke of the habit of the Chinese of protesting, with or without reason, against what they considere ! foreign innovations, without taking thought as to their purpose or incidence. That in many instances they had reason on their side we showed in the instance of the Post Office,
instances, the cause really came from their though even here, as in so many other
own neglect to take into consideration a glaring want. A more remarkable instance of the ingrained habit of protesting with or