Copy.
Copy to Hongkong
Oanton
Shanghai
Hanking 7.0.
with two enclosures.
sir,
British Legation.
Peking.
7th February, 1929.
660
I am directed by His Majesty's Minister to
acknowledge the receipt of your letter of January 28th
concerning the project which you recently discuss að
with him of establishing a commercial air service between
Hong Kong and Chinese coastal porta.
2.
From your conversation with Sir Miles Lamps on
and from the contents of your letter it would appear that
you are under a misapprehension es to the position of the
Chinese Government with regard to the licensing of foreign
commercial avistion.
3.
It is true that Chine was a signatory of the
International Air Convention of 1919 but ap till September
last she had not ratified it and, as far as this Legation
are aware, she has not yet done so.
Moreover even after
ratification she would be under no obligation in the above
respect beyond that of according" the right of innocent passage
above her territory to the aircraft of the other contracting
Statea" (Article 2 of the Convention) and Article 16
expressly states that:
4.
"Each contracting State shall bave the right to "establish reservations and restrictions in favour "of its national sircraft in connection with the "carriage of persons and goods for hire between "two points of its territory".
The Chinese Government are therefore in no way
R. Vaughan-Fowler Esquire,
PIPING.
bound/