it ...
98
3
recognized. The de facto Canton Government does
not, however, take orders either from Peking or
from any other part of China: and it can properly
be regarded as a government which has rebelled against
Peking. Nevertheless its aim is not to make the
province of Kuang-tung into an independent republic. On the contrary its ambition is to impose Cantonese
rule on the rest of China; and it has recently
invaded, and may according to information recently
received from H.M.Consul at Swatow now again be
engaged in invading, the province of Fukien with
J
a vier if successful, to an attack on Shanghai
and after that on Peking. It does not wish to
dismember the Eighteen Provinces, but rather to
unify them under its own form of Government. We note
that Sir James Jamieson suggests in his reply to
the Foreign Office that the "experiment might be tried of offering independent recognition to
the Canton Government". But we do not agree with
this suggestion, because such recognition would certainly cause offence to Chinese leaders in
central and northern China and, while antagonizing
our Chinese friends, it would not placate our
Chinese enemies, who would proclaim it as a victory and construe it as another sign of British weakness
certainly and irresolution. Moreover, such action would/have a very bad effect in Hongkong. We do not, however, consider that hostile operations by Great Britain in Kuang-tung would be a recognition of an independent Canton Government. It would only be the restoration of law and order in the rebellious Kuang-tung Province by British force on behalf of the impotent Peking
Government.
5.