This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[11864]
C
14857
ཉྩེ༩༩༣
[March 31.]
SECTION 3,
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received March 31.)
Peking, March 31, 1911.
(No. 89.) (Telegraphic.) R. OPIUM. Proposal in Government of India's telegram of 28th March for closing ports on 1st July was submitted to Chinese delegate to-day. He thought Chinese Government would be prepared to accept either this proposal or one mentioned in my telegram No. 86.
Crucial difficulty now is prohibition by provinces. Following is our original proposal
"Indian opium shall not be conveyed under transit pass into any province of China which can establish by clear evidence that it has permanently suppressed cultivation of native opium, and has genuinely stopped importation of native opium from other provinces."
Chinese Government insist on omission of words "under transit pass." This would enable a province like Canton, which produces only an infinitesimal quantity of native opium and does not consume it to any large extent, to establish a claim to exclude foreign opium, and might go far to vitiate whole agreement by encouraging provincial agitation. But they have pressed for me to submit their request to you by telegraph, and have indicated that refusal may lead to rupture of negotiations.
[1930 hh-3]
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