•
SECRET
12.
る
FOR SECRET RECORD IN DEPARTMENT,
EXTRACT
18.6.37.
Haustan's
CABINET
24 (37)
from Conclusions of a Meeting held on
Wednesday, 16th June, 1937.
CHINA.
Extra-Territori-
ality in.
(Previous
Reference: Cabinet 92 (31), Con- clusion 3.)
3.
The Cabinet had before them a Memorandum by the
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (C.P.-153 (37))
stating that the United States Government requested
the views and observations of His Majesty's Government
on the question of the resumption of negotiations for
the abolition of extra-territoriality in China. The
United States Government were in favour of resumption,
and enquired whether His Majesty's Government thought
it would be better for the foreign Governments to take
the initiative in approaching the Chinese Government,
or to await proposals from China. An interim reply had
been sent to the United States Embassy favouring the
latter course pending a decision on the important points
of policy involved. The Secretary of State suggested
that negotiations should be begun on the basis of a
draft Treaty drawn up in June, 1931, since when the
whole question of extra-territoriality had remained in
abeyance. The greatest difficulty arose out of the
peculiar position of the International Settlement at
Shanghai and the neighbouring areas, which were excluded
from the operation of the draft Treaty, and the Secretary
of State suggested that it would be best to insist now,
as in 1931, on complete exclusion, in order to afford
time for further negotiations. It seemed desirable,
also, in view of the present conciliatory attitude of
the Japanese, to propose to them to adopt the same
attitude as ourselves and the United States over the
question of extra-territoriality
a point on which
His