Chies
598
His Majesty's Minister has the honour to acknowledge
the receipt of the Wai Chiao Pu's Memorandum of May 16th
with reference to the election of members of the National
Assembly representing Chinese resident in British colonies.
It appears from this Hemorandum that the Chinese
Government is under the impression that the British Govern- ment's objection is merely to the method by which the
election of these representatives was effected. His
Hajesty's Minister would assure the Wai Chiao Pu that such
is not the case; His Majesty's Government has a fundamental objection to the whole principle of representation of
Chinese subject to British law in the Parliament of a
foreign country, and the method of election is a deteil
which in no wise affects this opinion. Whether by the
present method of election or by any other it is impossible
to avoid a state of affairs in which the Chinese Government
exercises interference in regions which are under the
British Crown. British citizens in British colonies, like
the subjects of other nationalities, are amenable while
they stay there to British law, and cannot be allowed to
import
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import into the country of their domicile the political contro- versies and domestic rivalries of their country of origin.
Nis Eajesty's Hinister is communicating the Wai Chiao Pu's Kemorandum to His Majesty's Government but he deems it
necessary to correct without delay the misapprehension which underlies the reply of the Bureau for the Organisation of
Parliament.
Peking,
May 28th, 1913.
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