1208
16
under cover of the extra-territoriality negotiations to make a move in the old vexed question of the extension of the International Settlement. During the next few days this offer was referred to on more than one occasion, and, after it had been made also to the State Department in Washington, it assumed the character of a definite Chinese counter-proposal.
Opening of People's Convention and issue of Mandate of May 5.
43. On the 5th May the People's Convention opened; and, following on a smoke screen of press propaganda about the negotiations being deadlocked and broken off (to which, backed by an erroneous report issued by Reuter, the leading British newspaper in Shanghai, with some lack of wisdom, gave full publicity, even devoting a leading article to the subject), the National Government on the same day took their much-heralded “unilateral action" by issuing a mandate on the subject of foreign extra-territorial rights. The mandate promulgated a set of regulations in twelve articles, to come into force on the 1st January, 1932, governing the exercise of jurisdiction over foreign nationals in China, the latter being specified as those still in enjoyment of extra-territorial rights on the 31st December, 1929. As was expected, these regulations were designed to set up the framework of the arrangements agreed upon in our negotiations, including the special chambers and legal counsellors, and provided for the substance, in emasculated form, of the agreed assurances in regard to arrests, arbitration, appearance of foreign lawyers, limitation of police jurisdiction, and so on. At the same time the Minister for Foreign Affairs issued a statement in which he referred to the mandate of the 28th December, 1929, and to his own accompanying declaration of that time announcing that the Chinese Government was prepared to consider and discuss within a reasonable time, any representations that might be made by the Powers concerned; in pursuance of the above pronouncements the National Government had been conducting negotiations with the Governments of the six Powers concerned during the past year and a half; certain of these Governments had concluded satisfactory arrangements; but the negotiations with other Powers, including Great Britain and the United States, had not yet yielded the desired solution; the National Government appreciated the very warm sympathy already shown by these Powers, especially Great Britain, in its endeavours to consummate China's aspirations, and it was sincerely to be regretted that they did not see their way to meet completely the unanimous and ardent wishes of the Chinese Government and people; in view of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's behest in regard to the convocation of the People's Convention and the abolition of the unequal treaties, the National Government had no alternative but to declare that the extra-territoriality negotiations with the various Powers had reached an impasse, and to issue the mandate concerning the exercise of jurisdiction over foreign nationals in China. In due course these heroics were backed up by the issue on the 13th May of a manifesto of the People's Convention, declaring its non-recognition of the "Unequal Treaties" and the intention of the Chinese people to secure their abrogation. A few days later the convention came to an end, having passed the provisional constitution and made the necessary declara- tions in support of the domestic and foreign policies of Chiang Kai-shek and his Government.
Sequence of Events leading up to Mandate of May 5.
44. The sequence of events on the Chinese side leading up to this dénouement was as follows. Firstly, the addressing to the Powers concerned, in the spring of 1929, of invitations to negotiate for the abolition of extra- territoriality; secondly, the issue on the 28th December, 1929, of the mandate announcing unilaterally that as from the 1st January, 1930, all foreigners would be subject to China's laws, accompanied by a vaguely-worded declaration indicating that the National Government was still willing to negotiate with the Powers concerned; thirdly, the appearance towards the end of 1930 and early in 1931 of various statements indicating that the National Government intended to take further unilateral action towards the abolition of extra-territoriality by the 5th May, 1931, the date of the opening of the People's Convention, whether the negotiations were concluded by that date or not; and lastly, the issue on the 5th May, 1931, of the mandate promulgating the regulations taking jurisdiction over foreigners as from the 1st January, 1932, two years from the date of the
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