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circles are completely at a loss to understand why the British press, in printing the report of China's reply, should use a headline like "Canton Riots" and reprove China for not expressing her regret. They say that in fact, as regards the Kowloon incident it is Britain who should apologise. In the last British Note it states that it is most "regrettable" that the incident involving bloodshed should have occurred at Kowloon while diplomatic negotiations were in progress in Nanking and London. The tone of the Times and Manchester Guardian is the same as that of the unofficial views expressed by the responsible British spokesman reported yesterday evening. It can now be revealed that the person expressing those views was the spokesman of the Foreign office. His views were expressed in his own private and unofficial capacity. It may be that his own private views do not represent the opinions of high Foreign office officials. Perhaps he does not realise the fact that these two questions should be settled separately. But it is his point of view that the British press have accepted. their previous lote the British accused the Chinese press of "exaggerated and distorted reports" and "fanning of the flames of the anti-British movement”. Consequently the British Government should take careful note of the comments in the British press and see how distorted are the reports in the British papers and how they half intentionally and half unintentionally fan the sparks of 111-feeling between China and Britain.
In
Yesterday evening the London office of the Chinese Government Information office distributed the original text of the Chinese Note to all London newspapers but only two papers reported this news to their readers today. In the British Note the Chinese Government and press were accused of not reporting all the facts of the Kowloon incident to the Chinese public. It would be of great benefit if the British authorities were to look after the British public and enable them to understand all the facts in the dispute between China and Britain. All the British in Hong Kong and Ranking who were dissatisfied with the Chinese press know that when the British Note was published it was printed in all the Chinese newspapers.
But these British residents abroad do not know how their newspapers at home are treating the news of the Kowloon incident and they really do not care. They hope that the Chinese public will be able to understand the British point of view but they do not care whether or not the British public understands the Chinese point of view. Mutual understanding between nations can certainly not be obtained in this way. At present the Chinese authorities are negotiating with high officials of the Foreign office in London in order to come to a direct settlement and they very much hope that when the public in China hears the unofficial British views they will remain calm and not be provoked.