14
which states that:-
"A neutral Power is not bound to prevent the
"export or transit on behalf of one or other of the
"belligerents, of arms, munitions, or in general of
"anything which can be of use to an army or fleet. 11
It is therefore clear that on legal grounds there is
nothing to prevent the private commercial export of
explosives from Hong Kong to China.
3.
As regards the political aspect of the question,
it has always been the policy of neutrals in past wars to
allow the export of ordinary munitions to belligerents,
and this policy is, in general, in our favour, since we
normally have command of the seas. On this account we
object to the United States neutrality legislation, on
the grounds that it is contrary to our interests and that
it places a premium on aggression. If therefore we were
to depart from the policy of allowing the export of
ordinary...