CO129-363 - Public Offices & Others - 1909 — Page 322

ག ༧ཤ་བ་

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

C

40792

Rect 17 C 09

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[43836]

No. 1.

[December 2.]

SECTION 1.

321

Your Excellency,

Sir Edward Grey to M. Cambon,

Foreign Office, December 2, 1909. WITH reference to my note of the 24th ultimo relative to the Hukuan loan negotiations, I have the honour to inform you that the German Government have now expressed their readiness to instruct their representative at Peking to endeavour to obtain, in concert with the representatives of the other Powers interested, the con- cession for the extension from Tchang to Chengtu of the Hankow-Szechuan line.

I am aware that this arrangement might be criticised on the ground that it only gives the Anglo-French group 1,000 kilom,, while leaving 600 kilom. to the German group. His Majesty's Government do not, however, consider that this slight difference, which your Excellency will recollect only concerns the question of engineers, should be allowed to interfere with the settlement of this long-pending matter which has at length been arrived at, and they confidently trust that the French Government will also share this view, and will send instructions accordingly to their representative at Peking.

Moreover, the fact should not be overlooked that the 200 kilom. now surrendered by the German group represents part of a line in respect of which they already possessed a preliminary agreement, whereas the portions of the line assigned to the British, French, and American groups are concerned with an undertaking as to which the consent of China has yet to be obtained.

I have, &c.

E. GREY.

[2538 b-1]

SC June