SUGGESTED REDRAFT OF THE PROPOSED
COMMUNICATION TO THE UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR.
128
First paragraph. As in Foreign Office draft.
Second paragraph. Delete everything after end of
the third sentence and insert as follows:-
"H.M. Government regard this matter as one
appropriate to be dealt with when the time comes
for a discussion of a comprehensive Treaty of
Commerce and Navigation such as Article 7 of the
American draft and Article 8 of the British draft
foresees. H.A. Government has no wish then to
retain any unilateral rights but it will be for
consideration whether on a basis of mutual agreement
it will be possible to provide for the shipping of
each one of the Farties to engage in the coastal
trade and inland navigation of the other. The
coasting trades of the United Kingdom and the
Colonies have not been closed to Chinese shipping
and H.M. Government would be very reluctant at this
stage to assume that it will be consistent with
enlightened shipping policy after the war to include
in Treaties which they may make restrictive provisions
as to the trading of ships.
The matter is not one of immediate practical import-
ance and H.M. Government, for their part, are not