CO129-481 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1923 [8-12] — Page 508

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CONFIDENTIAL.

.4344

23 JAN 24

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

500

HONGKONG. 19th December, 1923.

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VM

Jov

60440/23

Alosure No.1.

closure No.2.

My Lord Duke,

With reference to my telegram of the 12th

of December, I have the honour to transmit to Your Grace

a copy of the letter from Dr. Sun Yat Sen, which was handed

to me by his representative, Mr. Eugene Ch'en on December

8th. Mr. Ch'en at the same time communicated to me the

enclosed statement which Dr. Sun was about to publish. He

supplemented these documents with verbal representations the

gist of which, so far as they appeared to me to be of any importance, was repeated in my telegram of 11th December to His Majesty's Minister at Peking.

2.

A

At this interview, I restated the position

which I have always adopted in conversation with Chinese

politicians that the internal politics of China are no concem of mine or of this Colony: that our only interest

is the welfare of the Colony and of British trade and that

for these reasons our earnest desire is to maintain

amicable relations with the governing power of the

neighbouring provinces, whether such power is Sun Yat Sen or another; that we recognize that the interests of Hongkong and Kwangtung are inseparable and that for the sake of both a speedy restoration of peace and good order in Kwangtung is ardently to be desired. On this occasion I considered myself justified in adding that I trusted that

COMO

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THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE, K.G.,

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