CO129-372 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 551

547

MINUTES.

24th 1886 relating to Burmah and Thibet in which it was stipulated (Article III) that the conditions of the Frontier Trade between Bur- meh and China were to be settled by a Frontier Trade Convention both countries agreeing to protect and encourage Trade between China and Burmah.

It was not until March 1st 1894 that a Convention was concluded between Great Britain and China to give effect to this stipulation.

Article VIII of this Convention laid down that: "subject to the conditions mentioned hereafter in Articles X and XI (relating to prohibited goods, munitions of war, opium, spirituous liquors, &c) the British Govern- ment wishing to encourage and develop the land trade of China with Burmah as much as possible, consent for a period of six years from the rat- ification of the present Convention, to allow Chinese produce and manufactures with the ex- ception of salt, to enter Burmah by land duty free, and to allow Eritish manufactures

end Burmese produce with the exception of rice to be exported to China by land free of duty".

Article IX of this Convention laid down

that "Goods imported from Burmah into China or exported from Chine into Burmah shall be per- mitted to cross the frontier by Manwyne and by Sansi" and that "the Chinese Government consent that for six years from the ratifica- tion of the present Convention, the duties

levied

levied on goods imported into China by these routes shall be those specified in the general Tariff of the Maritime Customs diminished by 3/10 and that the duties on goods exported from China by the same routes shall be those specified in the same Tariff diminished_by_4/10".

This Article was modified by the Agreement between Great Britain and China of February 4th

1897 as follows:-

"In addition to the Manwyne and Sansi routes sanctioned by the Convention of 1894 the Governments of Great Britain and China agree that any other routes, the opening of which the Bound- ary Commissioners may find to be in the interests of trade, shall be sanctioned on the same terms

as those mentioned above".

This instrument also lays down that "failing agreement as to the terms of revision, the pre- sent arrangements (which were for six years from the ratification of the 1894 Convention) shall

remain in force".

A special arrangement exists between Russia and China for the encouragement of trade across the Chinese frontier (Treaty of November 14th 1860) Article IV of which says:-

"Sur toute la ligne-frontière établie par l'article I du présent Traité, un commerce d'échange libre, et franc de droits, est autorisé entre les sujets des deux pays.

"Les Chefs locaux des frontières doivent accorder une protection particulière à ce com-

(10,100). WL 5083-41, 5000, 5/09. A. & E.W.

merce