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TURKISH INTERESTS IN CHINA.
(Daily Press, August 17th.)
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
At one time in the history of China the, Turks were a power in the land, but in the Tang Dynasty, A.D., 618-907, which was contemporaneous with the age of ALFRED THE GREAT in England, the power of the Turks in China was completely destroyed and much of the territory conquered by them in Central Asia was regained. Though there are now very few Turks in China the amount of attention paid in diplomatic circles in Europe to the recent announcement of the assumption by Ger many of the protection of Turkish subjects in China shows it to possess a very special significance. Dr. MORRISON in a telegram to the Times last month told his readers that Turkey, besides having a considerable number of subjects employed on the Yunnan and other railways, has two interests in China-opium and religion. It is the religious interest which has excited public attention in Europe or rather the political aspect of a religious movement. That endeavours have been made from time to time to awaken interest in Pan-Islamism in China by attempts to stimulate recognition of the Sultan as the spiritual ruler of the Moslems is known to most readers. Three times within the last twenty years has Turkey sent Missions to China, but at least two of them were ill- provided with funds and did not succeed in drawing much public attention to themselves except on that account. The first Mission came out од a Turkish frigate which foundered in a storm near Kobe in 1890 with great loss of life. It has been remarked in Paris that ABDUL HAMID has latterly manifested special interest in China, and it is recalled that two years ago he received with special honours a Chinese Musulman, a Mufti, who had come all the way from Peking to pay homage to the KHALIF. Last year the SULTAN sent to Peking a mission comprising two theologians and an inspector of primary schools. The latter is at present travelling in China with a passport from the French Legation. Of the theologians, one is said to be looked upon as a Pan-Islamic agent. Dr. MORRISON makes the statement that imams from
Turkey are constantly moving among the Mohammedan communities of Western China, and that some 200 Chinese au-
nually make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The intercourse between the two countries, he says, is much greater than is generally suspected,
[August 22, 1908.
are constantly increasing. It further tells the Paris papers asks, if France had display. its readers that the progress of Mahomed. | ed benevolent neutrality towards the rebels? anism in China is one of the most important Our reply would be that serious trouble for factors in its evolution. What a force, both France and Ching would have been exclaims the Journal, to be placed at the the result. France could not possibly give service of the Power whose prestige will be the Reformists a free hand in Tongking; that enhanced by the delegation of the KHALIF, the movement has been permitted to show the head of Islam! It is not the first time, itself there at all has had a very bad effect it adds, that Germany has shown with what on the native population who would seem t skill she takes advantage of great moral have developed a revolutionary movement influences for promoting the most material of their own, directed against. Freach of policies.
domination. Revolutionary literature has China has, doubtless, been kept well in- been scattered broadcast among the natives formed by its Legation in Paris of the views in Indo China, in Cochin-China and Annam. expressed on the subject, and it is interesting It is clear, as M. LANESSAN has recently to note that in replying to the German remarked in the Siecle, that France has notification, the Chinese Government every interest from the point of view of said that while they were willing to receive the security of Indo-China to live on communications from Turkey through good and friendly terms with China, but the German Legation, they could not whether the general entente which he relinquish to Germany the rights of protec- recommends with the Chinese Govern- tion in China over the subjects of a Powerment, analogous to that already concluded which has no treaty with China. By im. with Japan, would avail much when difficul- plication China at the same time denies to ties arise such as those which have occurrel France any right of protection over Turkish during the last six months, is very question- subjects, and the Chinese Government itself able indeed. The best security for Indo- avoids responsibility by declaring its inten- China at present is an adequate military tion to decline in future to issue passports force, and that apparently is in the way of or to grant ex-territorial rights to subjects being supplied, for large reinforcements are of a Power like Turkey, within whose coming out this year. borders the subjects of other nations retain exterritorial privileges. It looks therefore as if the Chinese Government had been con- aiderably alarmed by what appeared at first sight to be a change of trivial significauce. It is not, of course, the religious significance of the Pan-Islamic movement that would trouble China, but the political develop ments that may arise out of it. In view, however, of the intercourse between the two countries which has so long existed and still continues, it is difficult to see what China gains by a refusal to recognise the claim of a foreign power to afford protection to Turkish subjects in China and this refusal in itself may conceivably serve more to promote than to check the developments China seeks to prevent.
There is no definite information in the published statements as to the reason for this transfer of the protection of Turkish subjects in China from France to Germany. Up to the time the latest mail left Europe the Ottoman Government had not even communicated to the French Foreign Office any notice of the transfer. Having regard to the fact that the uumber of Ottoman subjects in China is not large and the individual Turks not persons of any parti- cular importance, the incident, the Paris correspondent of the Times says, is consi- dered "decidedly significant." "It is looked upon sa one more illustration of the sort of tutelage Germany is gradually endeavouring to acquire over the whole Musulman world a tendency which deserves the careful consideration of all States having Mohame- dan subjects. This tendency is served by the constant desire of ABDUL HAMID to confirm his own influence and power as KHALIF over the most distant branches of Islam." The Paris Journal in referring to the subject says that there are some 80 million Musulmans in China and that their numbers
AN ABORTIVE RISING.
(Daily Press, 18th August.) There seems good reason to believe that all organised efforts to promote a rebellion in South China are, for the time being at least, at an end. SUN YAT SEN has for
THE CHINESE POSTAL ADMINISTRATION,
(Daily Pres, August 19th.) We have received from the Inspectorate- General of Castoms and Posts the Report on the working of the Imperial Post Office
Mr.
this time not, for "the year 1907," but for the "33rd year of KUANG HSU. HIPPISLEY, the officiating Postal Secretary, explains that the delay in the publication of the report has been due to this substitution of the Chinese calendar-which had pre- viously been followed by Inland Offices only for the foreign calendar in the rendering of accounts and statistics at the postal establishments. Mr. HIPPISLEY goes on to say that "a system under which some offices compiled their statistics according to the Chinese year, while others followed the foreign year was obviously open to objection aud the change bad sooner or later to be made to meet national ideas and customs and to suit the requirements of the Chinese ad ministration.'
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This change would seem at first sight to be prompted more by years cherished the idea of a revolution patriotism of the" rights recovery" descrip- in the Two Kwang provinces and it seems tion, than by a sincere desire to secure from the talk of one of the leaders of the uniformity of practice, for it will at once be recent operations in Yunnan who has sought suggested that the Inland Offices which sanctuary in Japan, that another rising followed the Chinese calendar in making on a big scale was in progress in Kwangsi up their accounts might have been in- and Kwangtung, the outbreaks in Yunnan structed to follow the foreign calendar being arranged merely to divert attention
as the chief offices did. If the change from the bigger movement while it was in had to be made in this case process of organisation. But the project meet national ideas and customs" how has not matured because the Yunnan opera- long will it be before we hear of a similar tions were a failure. And China has to order in regard to the preparation of the thank the French for this. A month or
Customs Trade Reports? two ago when France made certain demands upon China for reparation for a violation of her territory by the Chinese regulars who killed men of the French Colonial troops, China replied with a suggestion that the French had allowed Tongking to become base of operations for the revolutionary movement. There is no question that the Reformists have in violation of French laws made Tongking a point d'appui and an organising base, but as soon as the French themselves to put a stop to it. Therefore authorities saw this they certainly exerted the suggestion made by China that the French had given the revolutionary move- ment a base naturally rankled in the minds of the French. What would happen, one of
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This, however, is a digression from the interesting subject of the work of the Chinese Imperial Postal Administration which continues to show very striking progress, Though during the past year, according to the report, attention has been directed less to expansion than to improve- ment of the organisation, to facilitating inter-provincial communications by linking up the courier lines of one province with those of another, and to accelerating lines working on the day-and-aight system, delivery by the establishment of courier the result of it all has been not only expansion but “unprecedented expan- sion." The total number of offices and agencies has been raised to 2,803, and
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