2.
117
between China and Japan, His Excellency the Governor
imagines that the obligations of neutrality as between
belligerent nations are inapplicable either to Japan or to
China. In these circumstances, His Excellency conceives
that, so far as the duties of neutrals as defined by
international law or convention are concerned, there
could be no impropriety in aeroplanes, whether military
or otherwise, being assembled in Burma and flown thence
to China. His Excellency would be glad to know if his
impression on this point is correct; he would be glad also
to be informed if he is correct in thinking that a
declaration of war on the part of either Japan or China
would not of itself impose on Burma, as part of the British
Empire, any obligation as a neutral to avoid any process of
manufacture of war material, including the assemblage of
military aeroplanes, for either China or Japan.
4.
it
If the views tentatively expressed in the preceding
paragraph are correct, it would seem to become a matter of
policy whether the Government of Burma should or should not
permit within its territory any process of manufacture of
munitions for China, including such a process as the
assemblage of military aeroplanes. In such a matter it
would appear that Burma's policy should primarily be
dictated by the policy of His Majesty's Government;
would hardly be conceivable, for example, that the
Government of Burma should decide to permit the assemblage
of military aeroplanes in Burma if His Majesty's Government
were definitely opposed to such permission being given.
On the other hand, if His Majesty's Government raised no
objection to such permission being given, it would be open
to this Government to grant permission within such limits
as His Majesty's Government might indicate as proper:
presumably/