CO129-372 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 190

-:LLB:WEB-HEL"འཆད་མ

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

[B]

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CO

18595

REC? [J948 JUN 10

188

CONFIDENTIAL.

SECTION 1.

[19448]

(No. 124.) Sir,

No. 1.

Mr. Bryce to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received June 1.)

Washington, May 21, 1910. IN the course of an interview which I had to-day with the Secretary of State I took occasion to enquire of him whether he felt apprehensive for the safety of foreigners-missionaries and others--in China, as alarming reports regarding an aggressive and anti-foreign spirit on the part of the Chinese in the interior have been current here during the last few days. He replied that no doubt the state of things in China was at present abnormal, but his last reports were more favourable than those of three weeks or a month ago had been, and he did not anticipate any general anti-foreign movement of a dangerous kind at present.

In

He then proceeded to observe that he regretted that His Majesty's Government did not appear to share the views of the United States Government regarding the necessity of taking steps to strengthen the central Government in China. his view the weakness of that central Government was a serious evil, retarding further progress in China. The provincial Governments went their own way, paying little respect to the central authority, collecting their own taxes and sending much less than they ought to the Imperial Treasury. The United States Government had thought that the request of the Chinese Government for a raising of the duties at the ports in return for the abolition of the li-kin ought to be granted. The proceeds of the li-kin went to a comparatively small extent to the central Government, whereas it could collect the external duties, and, if the abolition of the li-kin accompanied the raising of the external duties, there would be no hindrance to foreign trade, because imported goods would be no dearer than at present.

He wound up by saying that, in his view, a more effective control by the central Imperial Government was a preliminary to any real and effective reform in China.

I have, &c.

JAMES BRYCE.

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