[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL,
14358
[February 24.]
SECTION 3.
145
J
[6881]
No. 1.
Sir,
India Office to Foreign Office.-(Received February 24.)
India Office, February 23, 1911. WITH reference to previous correspondence as to the undemarcated section of the Burmalı-China frontier north of latitude 25° 35′ north, I am directed by the Secretary of State for India to enclose copy of a telegram from the Viceroy on the subject.
It will be observed that the Viceroy agrees in the view that provided the Chinese Government are willing to recognise the watershed frontier as the general basis of negotiation, there is no objection to particular adjustments of that line by the cession to China of territory on the British side over which the Chinese can be shown to have exercised effective control in the past. This is in accordance with the proposal made to the Wai-wu Pu by the instructions of His Majesty's Government, as reported in Sir J. Jordan's telegram No. 53, dated the 18th February, 191!. But in view of the advantages of the watershed as a natural frontier, Lord Crewe is of opinion that every effort should be made to effect the actual settlement with China by the lease to His Majesty's Government of any villages to the west of the watershed in which it may be necessary to recognise Chinese rights, or by the extinction of all Chinese rights therein by the payment of pecuniary or other compensation, so as to avoid actual occupation or administration by the Chiucse of the villages in question.
In the meanwhile Lord Crewe concurs entirely in Sir J. Jordau's views as to the absolute necessity that Mr. Hertz should not retire from his present position pending a settlement at Peking of the basis of negotiations with the Chinese Government.
As regards the question of territorial compensation elsewhere on the Burmah- China frontier, a further telegram from the Government of India of the 22nd instant is enclosed. Having regard to our ignorance of the geography of the country beyond the section of the frontier now in dispute, Lord Crewe shares the objections of the Burmah Government to the offer of concessions to China in respect of the frontier north of latitude 26° 15'. As Sir E. Grey is aware, it has recently been found necessary to dispatch a British officer, with an escort, to Hkamti Long, with a view to counteracting the effects of Chinese encroachment in tribal territory adjoining the settled districts of Assam. In the absence of the necessary information Lord Crewe would strongly deprecate, on broad grounds of policy, any action which might have the effect of facilitating a forward movement of the Chinese upon a part of the north-east frontier of India, where, in the opinion of the Indian military authorities, our strategical position leaves much to be desired.
I am, &c.
R. RITCHIE.
Enclosure 1 in No. 1.
Government of India to the Earl of Crewe.
(Telegraphic.) P.
February 19, 1911. HPIMAW expedition. See your telegram dated the 16th instant. Sufficient information is not available on which proposals could be based for territorial compensation further north, by which conditions postulated in my telegram dated the 15th February would be fulfilled. Offer of any territorial compensation west of watershed and north of latitude 26° 15' is, moreover, deprecated by Burmah Government.
Please refer to telegram of the 11th instant from consul, Tengyueh, to His Majesty's Minister at Peking, of which the Foreign Office have presumably received a repetition. A favourable opportunity for obtaining a settlement is, in lieutenant- governor's opinion, indicated by attitude of Chinese at Tengyueh, but while we can
[1909 au-
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