CO129-361 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 433

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AIT

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

CHINA TRADE,

CONFIDENTIAL

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[16896]

431

C.O.

17911

RECR

Rec 27 MAY OS

[May 4.]

SECTION 2.

:

No. 1.

Sir,

Mr. Carter to Sir Edward Grey-(Received May 4.)

American Embassy, London, May 3, 1909. WITH reference to my note of the 27th ultimo, and to the Foreign Office Memorandum, dated the 1st April, and received here on the 30th of that month relating to the subject of Tariff and l-kin in China, I have the honour to inform you that my Government is gratified to learn of the readiness of His Majesty's Government to support the Chinese proposal when the time for the inauguration of such a discussion seems opportune.

The Government of the United States, on the 22nd March last, about the time of Mr. Reid's note to you on the subject, also, through our Ambassadors at Paris, Berlin, St. Petersburgh, and Tôkio, made inquiries as to the attitude of France, Germany, Russia, and Japan towards the contemplated measure.

As I informed you in my note of the 27th ultimo, France and Russia have signified their approval in principle, and on the 1st instant a telegram was received from our Ambassador at Tokió stating that Japan, while complaining of China's failure to observe the Treaty of 1903, however, agrees in principle to the proposal and will not make its criticism a condition precedent.

In the opinion of my Government, the contemplated discussion is the first step toward securing financial reform, which must necessarily be precedent to, as well as coincident with, administrative reform, and it believes that it is particularly desirable at this juncture to welcome China's proposal and to implement the provisions of the British, American, and Japanese Treaties. My Government feels that in the suggested Conference it might be stipulated that foreign consent to the increase of the Customs Tariff must be conditional upon China's promise to inaugurate at once the desired reforms.

I have, &c. (Signed) J. R. CARTER,

[2274 d-2]

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