ASE
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government
CHINA TRADE.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[2949]
No. 1.
[January 23.]
FRECE
528
C 0. 7798
SECTION 1. REC 4 MAR 09
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey. (Received January 23, 1909.)
(No. 550. Most Confidential.)
Sir,
Peking, December 9, 1908. I HAD the honour, in my despatch No. 311, Confidential, of the 8th July last, to transmit to you copy of a Treaty between Sweden and China, which had been signed by their respective Plenipotentiaries on the 2nd of that month,
This Treaty has now been refused ratification by the Swedish Government, and the inclosed communication which has been addressed by the Swedish Plenipotentiary to the United States' Minister and very courteously furnished to me in strict confidence by the latter, throws an instructive light on the spirit in which the negotiations were conducted and the reasons which have actuated the Swedish Government in declining to indorse the work of their Plenipotentiary,
M. Wallenberg consulted ine shortly after his arrival here, and the advice which I gave him was reported in my despatch No. 222 of the 23rd May last. I advised him to adhere to the draft Treaty he had brought with him, and not to accept the Chinese counter-proposals as a basis of negotiation, and added that it would be better to rest content with the 1847 Treaty than to embark upon negotiations which seemed to involve the sacrifice of essential principles.
M. Wallenberg was unable or unwilling to accept this view, and although he courteously kept me informed from time to time of the course of his negotiations, I had no further opportunity of influencing his action.
I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN,
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
M. Wallenberg to Mr. Rockhill.
Dear Mr. Rockhill,
Tokio, November 10, 1908. I HAVE always been impressed with your liberal and broad-minded views as to the coming development and future of China, and, as you probably are aware, have been greatly influenced by your suggestions and advice on several occasions in connection with our recent Treaty negotiations, especially in the matter of reciprocity and the adoption of more modern principles. I am now about to trespass once more upon your kindness, but I trust that the uniformity of our endeavours and sympathy of view, and not the least your own desire to help ine in the past, will be sufficient excuse for my again asking your assistance.
The Treaty I have just concluded has not been approved by the Swedish Foreign Office, and I am at a loss to understand why. They give no reasons at all, simply writing to me in a few lines that it cannot be ratified on account of its nonconformity with the draft made in Stockholm." This is unpleasant enough, and will no doubt cause some trouble, but for my part I have come to the conclusions that the point of view taken by the Foreign Office must either arise from misunderstanding or want of knowledge of the true state of things in the Far East. The last is the most likely, because, as you know, Sweden has never been diplomatically represented here before.
At any rate, it is to the interest of all parties concerned that matters be put right with as little delay as possible. Delay would not only affect Sweden's relations with China unfavourably, but would augment the strain between China and foreign countries generally, just in the same way as was the case in Japan in 1894, when the situation vis-à-vis foreign Powers became unendurable and had to be brought to an end.
It is an untenable position to maintain the view that the Foreign Office of a small country like Sweden should dictate to China and impose conditions upon her contrary to
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