ais Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
CHINA RAILWAYS.
(
CONFIDENTIAL.
[June 3.]
SECTION 6.
306
[17907]
(No. 186.) Sir,
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received June 3.)
Peking, April 18, 1907. I HAVE the honour to report that the German Minister, Count Rex, and myself had an interview yesterday afternoon with the Ministers of the Wai-wu Pu on the question of the Tien-tsin-Yang-tsze negotiations.
Count Rex, as representing the Power principally interested in the question, consented to take the leading part in the conversation, and began by making a protest on his own account in which I did not consider myself justified in joining.
The Wai-wu Pu had informed me, through Mr. Campbell, the Chinese Secretary to the Legation, of the transference of the negotiations by Imperial Decree to their Excellencies the Viceroys Yuan and Chang, but no such notification had apparently been made to my German colleague. Count Rex protested most emphatically against what he characterized as the almost inconceivable lack of courtesy shown by the Wai-wu Pu in neglecting to inform him. The Ministers explained that the repre- sentatives of the two Syndicates had been duly notified of the change, and that they themselves did not consider it necessary to bring it formally to the knowledge of the Legations until they knew for certain that the task of conducting the negotiations had been accepted by the two Viceroys.
Count Rex pointed out that a Decree had been issued virtually superseding an arrangement made between the Wai-wu Pu and us only a week previously, and contended strongly that any modification of that understanding should have been communicated to him.
Herr Krebs, the Interpreter to the German Legation, then read a translation of a Memorandum (copy inclosed) which Count Rex and I had prepared on the subject.
When he had finished reading the document, Tong Ta-jên asked permission to read the paper himself, but my German colleague, somewhat to my surprise, absolutely declined to allow his interpreter to part with it on the ground that he was addressing his observations verbally to the Wai-wu Pu.
Tong Ta-Jên curtly replied that he had no special desire to see the paper, and added that as they did not understand what had been read to them, he and his colleagues were not in a position to make any reply to our suggestions.
It was explained to Count Rex that the Ministers did not wish to keep the Memorandum, but merely to acquaint themselves more fully with its contents, and on this understanding it was handed over to them.
The Ministers then said that they could not undertake to interfere with an Imperial Decree, and expressed the opinion that it was quite out of place for the Syndicates to dictate to the Chinese Government who should be appointed as negotiators.
I
I repudiated the suggestion that the Syndicates were dictating in any way. reminded their Excellencies of the previous course of the negotiations which had been going on for a considerable time, and were apparently within a measurable distance of reaching a satisfactory conclusion, when, without any reason being assigned, an Imperial Decree was sprung upon us necessitating their being commenced again from the beginning. It was no wonder that the Syndicates were dissatisfied with this procedure, which was likely to lead to indefinite delay.
Tong Ta-jén explained that the Viceroy Yuan was selected as negotiator as being the highest territorial authority of the district and Northern Superintendent of Trade, and the Viceroy Chang was associated with him as being the most highly-placed and influential native of Chilli. Their joint decision would be accepted by the public opinion of the country.
Count Rex said it was an impossible arrangement devised purely for the purpose of blocking the whole question, and he renewed his demand, which he made under the express orders of his Sovereign, that the negotiations should be carried on by the Board of Communications in Peking.
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