CO129-371 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 31

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

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[46400]

No. 1.

[December 30.]

SECTION 1.

Sir,

Sir Edward Grey to the Marquis de Soveral.

Foreign Office, December 30, 1909. WITH reference to my note of the 15th instant, I have the honour to inform you that on the following day a telegram was addressed to Sir John Jordan, His Majesty's Minister at Peking, expressing the great regret with which His Majesty's Government had learnt the refusal of the Chinese Goverüment to submit to arbitration their dispute with Portugal. The telegram stated that, while His Majesty's Government were prepared to support China effectively and whole-heartedly in any reasonable demands she might put forward for the prevention of smuggling from Macao and to ensure that Portuguese territory was not used in a manner detrimental to her interests, they would he compelled, in the event of China being so ill-advised as to resort to any aggressive action after having refused arbitration, to intervence forcibly in favour of Portugal. It was pointed out that China had placed herself in the wrong by her refusal to arbitrate, and that His Majesty's Government had been put in a difficult position, as they could not disregard their treaty obligations, though naturally most anxious that these obligations should not bring them into conflict with China. It was to avoid any chance of this that they had encouraged the arbitration proposal.

Sir J. Jordan was instructed to make a communication in the above sense to the Chinese Government, and to furnish them with a copy of the text of the original treaty between Great Britain and Portugal of the 23rd June, 1661.

A telegram was received from Sir J. Jordan on the 24th instant, stating that he had that day delivered formally and in writing the communication in question, and that the Chinese Foreign Office had replied that, after carefully perusing its contents, they fully appreciated the position of His Majesty's Government and the friendly interest which their treaty engagements had obliged them to take. The Chinese Government, they said, had not committed themselves to a refusal of arbitration altogether, but had only rejected a proposal for arbitration by The Hague Tribunal. They added that they had issued the most stringent instructions to the Chinese authorities at Canton to refrain from all action which might tend to provoke trouble with the Portuguese at Macao.

I have, &c

[2548 gg-1]

E. GREY,

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