This Bocument is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.j
CHINA RAILWAYS.
CONFIDENTIAL.
C.O.
[March 10.]
11287
SECTION 1.
Rece
Reg
APR OF
No. 1.
[9267]
Sir Edward Grey to Sir J. Jordan.
(No. 42.) (Telegraphic.) P.
Foreign Office, March 10, 1909. CANTON-HANKOW negotiations. Your telegram No. 58 of the 10th instant. If you see no objection you might bring to the notice of the Wai-wu Pu that the undertaking given to Bland that Chang would communicate with you before accepting proposals with other than British sources (see your despatch No. 78 of the 17th ultimo) has been entirely disregarded; you might inform them that a bad effect must be caused here by the neglect of their moral obligations to us in the matter, and that their credit in this country and elsewhere is bound to be affected by a policy of obtaining loans without proper security.
Until we know definitely the intentions of Germans, which will be disclosed on Friday at the meeting, we cannot add anything further.
(Confidential)
Yesterday Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank received a telegram from German group expressing the opinion that it is only a desire to obtain more favourable conditions from bank that has prompted the Chinese Government to accept German proposals, and stating that on the 12th March German group will discuss the matter with the British group, bearing in mind that Great Britain claims preferential rights for this line. This suggested to us that Berlin has not yet confirmed the arrangement.
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