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or treaties of friendship, commerce navigation and
consular rights" would be begun within six months
after the conclusion of hostilities with Japan,
which in fact occurred in September 1945. In
February however the Chinese Government proposed that
since they were busy with the transfer of the
government from Chungking to Nanking the date for
effectively opening negotiations should be fixed
later, and this was agreed to by His Majesty's
Government. Our draft treaty was presented to the
Chinese Government in June, but despite pressure
on our part no reply was received, and it became evident
that the Chinese Government had no intention of
beginning negotiations until after they had
disposed of their Commercial treaty with the United
States, which had been under active negotiation since
February, and was signed at Nanking in November 1946.
(It has been ratified by the Chinese Government but
not yet by the United States Senate). A Chinese
counter draft was presented to our Embassy in
Nanking in December 1946 and reached this country
in January 1947, since when it has been the subject
of inter-departmental consultation. These have
been centralized in the Board of Trade, as the
department most directly interested.
Apart
from delays in receiving the comments of interested
departments, Board of Trade have been handicapped
by the shortage of expert staff, who have for the
most part been engaged in the International Trade
Organisation discussions at Geneva and in problems
arising out of the economic crisis.
Representative
/British