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Coastal Trade and Inland Navigation.
The attitu^e of H.M.0. in this matter has been
explained in the memorandum sent to His Excellency
the United States Ambassador on the 12th November.
Employment of Filots.
This presumably refers to foreign pilots.
Shanghai is the port chiefly affected by this question,
and prior to the war there was at Shanghai a foreign
licensed pilots association functioning under a
Sino-foreign charter. H.K.O. have no wish to retain
any special privileges in this respect, but for the
safety of big ships navigating the difficult entrance
to Shanghai they consider that the Chinese Government
should agree to employ a sufficient number of
qualified foreign pilots when Shanghai again becomes
open to allied shipping and until an adequate number
of Chinese pilots can be trained to take their place.
Visita of foreign warships to Chinese ports.
H.M.G. are willing in future to seek the prior
consent of the Chinese Government for such visits by
H.M.Ships and to conform to usual international
practice in this matter.
H.M.G. have now received proposals similar to the
above from the Chinese Goverment for the amenèmení
of the British draft treaty and for an exchange of
notes. In the Sino-British exchange of notes the
Chinese Goverment wish, however, to add to the
matters for abrogation already mentioned to the United
States Government "the employment of a foreign national
as Inspector General of the Chinese aritime Customs.”
Since the United States Government are also interested
in the Chinese Customs and the financial obligations
secured thereon H.M. G. would be glad to learn their
views on this last mentioned request.
In.
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