gressive, and democratic government, the agreement on a constructive programme for the Central Government and the provinces, and the settlement of those political questions n which the future peace and good government of the country and the smooth relations betwe the Central and Provincial Governments depend. Such a Disarmament Conference was littl to the liking of the Militarists as it would deprive them of the tools on which they depen for the realisation of their unholy ambitions and was like "asking the tiger for his skin, While they dare.l not openly oppose the proposal, they were evasive in regard to the ques of disarmament which was really the crux of the whole matter, At the same time they se expeditions and subsidised traitors to make war on the provinces of Kwangtung, Szechuan Fukien and thus by their action defied the entire Chinese people,
They have been enabled to do this through their possession of the historic scat of the Central Government which gave them the recognition of the Fordig. Powers. But the Peking Govenment is not in fact or in law a government, does n perform the primary functions or fulfil the elementary obligations of a government, and is not recognised by the Chinese people as a government. The Foreign Powers, who must all along have realised the force of their recognition, have been prompted to do so by the notion that they must have some entity, though it be a nonentity, with which to deal. However, by their action, they have given Peking moral prestige and financial support in the shape of revenues under foreign control so that the Peking Government has been enabled to exist by virtue of foreign recognition and by that aloue. Unconsciously perhaps, they have thus done something which they have professed they would not do, that is, intervened in China's internal affairs by practically imposing on the country a government repudiated by it. They have by supporting a government which cannot exist for a single day without such support, hindered China from establishing an effective and stable govern. ment which the Washington Conference agreed "to provide the fullest and most unembar- rassed opportunity to China to develop and maintain for herself." They have by prolonging civil war, disorder, and disorganisation, injured the interests of their own nationals whose trade and business with China have naturally suffered loss and inconvenience.
Even technically the recognition of Peking has been of no convenience to the Legations as owing to the fact that Peking's writ does not run in the provinces, they have often to deal direc with the Provincial authorities, and the absence of a recognised Central Government is no real inconvenience when it is recalled that such was the case for a period of twenty months between the fall of the Manchu Government and the recognition of the Espablic. On the
other hand, it is absolutely certain that non-recognition of the Peking Government, involving as it does the loss of prestige and important sources of revenues, will compel the Militarists to
to disbandment and unification.
gree
The lack of even the form of government and the struggle for empty titles in Peking at the present juncture constitute a particularly opportune moment for the Foreign Powers to withhold their recognition from Peking until a government is established which can fairly claim to be representative of the country and command the respect and support of the provinces. The Chinese nation awaits from the Powers this demarche which is demanded by every consideration of justice to China, the principle of non-intervention, oleman international compact, and the interests of the Foreign Powers themselves.
y the Generalissimo-
CHAO-CHU WU
Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Canton, 29th June 1923.
(Signed) SUN VAT-SEN
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