CO129-496 - Public Offices - 1926 — Page 521

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question on which they feel most strongly and any approach to them of this sort is much more likely to produce a conciliating effect than any pronouncement as to Washington sur-taxes which they can take and have

taken at will.

At the moment, the Cantonese have refused to

Lave discuss Treaty questions but expressed their willingnes to do so as and when all or any of the Powers represented at Pekin realise that national power and

authority has long ceased to be exercised in Pekin

and that revolutionary and constructive forces of

Nationalist China have now transferred this national

power and authority to my (the Canton) Government".

We have no reason to doubt the sincerity of this pronouncement and the sooner it is possible to take

advantage of the offer contained in it the better it

will be from our point of view. If we delay very

much longer we may lose the chance of securing our

position by means of such negotiations, as indeed we lost

a similar chance over the new taxes at Canton.

It has not been possible to consult Sir C.

Clementi with regard to this policy, but it seems

likely that he would share these views. He has, for

some months, pointed out that recognition is the crux

of our difficulties, but he made mistake, in his urgency to remedy the position of advocating the

recognition of Cantonese as a regional Government.

}

Regional recognition would be quite inconsistent with

our Treaty obligations and the Cantonese had never

asked

Why tot anguse him ofte halve fond of leve in

here

Den they con spin them sation? and

We

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anythin