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financial point of view, the project gives no lasting guarantees that under the new plau fully satisfactory results will be obtained, as the proposed scheme is of the nature of an experiment on a large scale, and one which has not as yet been tested anywhere in practice.
"Referring to the second alternative of the American proposal, concerning the participation of Russian capital in the projected Chinchow-Aigun line, and other future railway enterprises of an international syndicate in Manchuria, the Russian Government recognise the serious significance of the line mentioned for Russian interests in a political and strategical sense, as opening from the south a way, not only towards the Chinese Eastern Railway, but also towards Russian possessions at Aigun. The Russian Government agree in principle to consider the proposal as soon as they are acquainted with the immediate principles which the enterprise has in view. Similarly we reserve to ourselves the right to determine our attitude towards future enterprises of a similar nature in accordance with the significance which each of such enterprises may have from the point of view of Russian interests.
""
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Governmen 196
CHINA RAILWAYS.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[3026]
No. 1.
Sir Edward Grey to Sir J. Jordan.
RECE Rce II FEB IC
[January 27.]
SECTION 1.
(No. 16.) (Telegraphic.) P.
Foreign Office, January 27, 1910. I CONCUR in the terms of your reply to Hillier as reported in your telegram No. 15 of to-day's date. I agree that for the present we should assume a strictly non- committal attitude, especially in view of the course taken by Russia and Japan.
[2581 dd-1]
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