CO129-361 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 163

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]

161

13969

CHINA TRADE.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[10650]

[March 20.]

RECO REGP 24 APR 09

SECTION 1.

No. 1.

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.(Received March 20.)

(No. 53.) Sir,

Peking, February 3, 1909. MY American colleague called upon me on the 26th ultimo and showed me a telegram which he had received from Dr. Tenny, one of the American Commissioners appointed to attend the Opium Conference at Shanghae. Dr. Tenny quoted reports which had appeared in the vernacular newspapers to the effect that the Chinese Government had given assurances to the British Foreign Office that they intended to play only a passive part at the Conference and had no desire to initiate any proposals. Dr. Tenny asserted that he had obtained confirmation of these reports from other reliable sources.

I explained to Mr. Rockhill that, in replying to a question which I had addressed them some weeks ago as to the scope of the Commission, the Wai-wu Pu had informed me that they had no intention of disturbing the arrangement made with us in 1907 for the gradual and provisional restriction of the Indian export. They said, 1 added, that they were perfectly satisfied with that arrangement and thought it unnecessary to reopen it until the experimental term of three years had expired.

That appeared to me to be a wise decision, especially as the knowledge that they had to keep pace with the diminished production and export from India had served as a useful incentive to the Chinese, and all the information that reached me from the provinces went to show that at the end of three years we should be in a better position to judge of the progress made by China and decide upon the course of action that should be mutually adopted for the execution of the remainder of the programme.

Apart from the above, I had no knowledge of the attitude the Chinese intended to adopt at the Conference.

In thanking me for the information, Mr. Rockhill expressed his concurrence in the efficacy of the 1907 arrangement as an incentive to Chinese action and said he saw no necessity for modifying it at present.

I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN.

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