(5)
ME
e
open informal and secret negotiations with those in poñer at Canton with a view to arriving at the basis of a settlement that will be acceptable both to the North and the South or, if that be impossible at present, with a view to a restoration of friendly relations between Canton and Hong Kong. This
should be done in such way as not to lead the Chinese to
suspect that the British are unduly anxious for a settlement,
and in my humble opinion some such means as I have endeavoured
to indicate above would be more likely to achieve satisfactory
results.
I submit that whilst the negotiations with regar
to tariffs and extraterritoriality are in progress any
suggestion of a general revision of the Treaties with China
is to be deprecated, as the mere suggestion would probably
led the Chinese to think that the Foreign Powers gere unduly
anxious to grant concessions to China: a cautious advance
within the limits indicated by the Washington Conference is he
only safe policy to adopt in my humble opinion.
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