CO129-492 - Governor Sir Clementi - 1925 [12] - 1926 [1-5] — Page 105

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has actually closed the open door against the British and that the Treaties of Nanking and of Tientsin have been broken both in letter and in spirit by the de facto Canton Government. I propose to deal with this point fully in a public despatch but in the meantime the following is a brief indication of the flagrant manner in which treaty rights have

been violated.

i. Treaty of Nanking.

J

Article 2. China agrees that British subjects,

with their families and establishments, shall be

allowed to reside, for the purpose of carrying on their mercantile pursuits, without molestation or restraint, at the city and town of Canton. But the Canton Strike Committee maintains pickets round Shamian and confiscates any articles carried by any nationals from the native city either to the British or the French concession. British subjects passing from Shamien into the native town of Canton or from

the native town to Shamien are constantly molested by strike pickets.

.

Article 5 China agrees to permit British merchants, at all ports at which they may reside, to carry on their mercantile transactions with whatever

persons they please. But the Canton Strike Committee

by means of its pickets prevents British merchants

from carrying on any mercantile transactions whatsoever

at Canton. The pickets prevent all import of British

goods and enforce this by forfeiture.

い

Article 10. Uhina engages that, when British

merchandise shall have once paid at wanton the regulated

customs dues, such merchandise may be conveyed by

Chinese merchants to any province or city in the

interior