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It is perfectly clear therefore that the Chinese provincial authorities are doing everything in their power to hamper the trade in Indian opium, and nothing to prevent the cultivation of the poppy.
After careful consideration of the facts before them, His Majesty's Government have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the present policy of the Chinese authorities aims, not at the extinction of the opium habit, but at the substitution of the native for the foreign drug, thus defeating the humanitarian objects of His Majesty's Government in negotiating the agreements of 1907 and 1911. China, by flagrantly violating her promises under articles 1 and 7 of the agreement of 1911, has conferred on His Majesty's Government the right to denounce that agreement, and the Chinese Government must feel that the Indian Government is acting generously as far as China is concerned in continuing the reduction of export in face of her attitude, and that China would not be entitled to complain if the Indian Government cancelled or suspended on their side the operation of the agreement.
His Majesty's Government are reluctant to bring the question of opium into the larger question of the recognition of the new Chinese Government, but they can only be expected, when the time comes, to grant recognition to the republic of China if the. Chinese Government are in a position to give such assurances as will fully safeguard British treaty rights and interests, and it will be obviously impossible for them to accept as satisfactory assurances on this point so long as the Chinese Government has to admit its inability to enforce treaty provisions in the provinces.
The continued failure of the Central Government to impose its will throughout the country, of which these flagrant breaches of an agreement signed at the request of China little more than a year ago form only one of many instances, must materially retard the recognition of the Chinese republic by His Majesty's Government, unless a considerable improvement in that respect is shown before the time comes for recognition.
Foreign Office, July 4, 1912.
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government}
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[27607]
No. 1,
Foreign Office to India Office.
0.0. !
ก
11
[July 6. AUG 12
SECTION 1.
Sir,
Foreign Office, July 5, 1912. I AM directed by Secretary Sir Edward Grey to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of the 27th ultimo and of the 2nd instant on the subject of Indo-Chinese opium trade, and to transmit to you herewith copies of two letters, dated the 20th and 28th June respectively, from Messrs. Sassoon.*
Sir E. Grey would be glad to be furnished with the views of the Marquess of Crewe as to what answer should be returned to Messrs. Sassoon on the points raised in the second paragraph of their letter of the 28th ultimo relative to the refusal of the Government of India to accede to their request that the sales of certified opium might be suspended.
Sir E. Grey would then propose, subject to the concurrence of the Marquess of Crewe, at the same time to inform Messrs. Sassoon, with reference to their request that His Majesty's Government should support a claim put forward by them to the Chinese Government on account of losses sustained through the illegal restrictions on the opium trade, that he is unable to give any general promise of support in regard to claims the nature and amount of which are unknown to him, and, further, that His Majesty's Government are unable to act on the suggestion made in Messrs. Sassoons' letter of the 20th ultimo to the effect that the Chinese Government should be pressed to take over from the merchants the stocks of Indian opium now in the merchants' hands. Sir E. Grey would then propose to refer Messrs. Sassoon to the strong repre- sentations which are being made by His Majesty's Minister at Peking, and to inform them that similar representations are being made to the Chinese Minister in London, and to add that instructions have been sent to Sir J. Jordan to make a strong protest to the Chinese Government with regard to the proclamation said to have been issued in the province of Kiangsi establishing a monopoly of sales of opium from the 1st instant, and ordering the suppression of the opium trade in December next, and that His Majesty's Government are considering the possibility of taking steps to prevent the smuggling of opium into China from Macao.
With regard to the points raised in your letter of the 27th ultimo, I am to state that Sir E. Grey has instructed Sir J. Jordan to make a strong protest to the Chinese Government on the subject of the proclamation said to have been issued in the province of Kiangsi. Sir E. Grey has no objection to the proposed reply to the Bombay merchants' memorial (referred to in the last sentence of the paraphrase of the telegram dated the 24th June from the Government of India, copy of which was enclosed in your letter of the 27th ultimo), provided that the opinion of the Marquess of Crewe is not affected by the further arguments advanced by Messrs. Sassoon in their letters of the 20th and 28th ultimo.
With regard to the enquiry contained in the last paragraph of your letter of the 27th ultimo, am to inform you that a reply was sent to Messrs. Sassoon in the sense
your letter of the 18th ultimo.
of
Sir E. Grey would be pleased to receive your reply as soon as possible, as he is anxious not to delay answering the communications received from "Messrs. Sassoon longer than necessary.
I am, &c.
W. LANGLEY.
[2549 e-1]
* Messrs. Sassoon and Co., June 20; ditto, June 28, 1912.
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