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confronted on the one hand with the internal difficul- ty of their own disunion and on the other with the external difficulty of obtaining the unanimous con- currence of the Powers. The latest instance of this is the failure of the attempt to alter the tariff of 1858. Mere protests against each and every breach of treaty rights must, therefore, necessarily be in- effective. His Majesty's Government attach the greatest importance to the sanctity of treaties but they believe that this principle may best be maintained by a sympathetic adjustment of treaty rights to the equitable claims of the Chinese. Protests should be reserved for cases where there is an attempt at whole- sale repudiation of treaty obligations or an attack upon the legitimate and vital interests of foreigners in Chine, and in these cases the protests should be made effective by the united action of the Powers.
15. His Majesty's Government have consistently carried out the obligation of full and frank consulte- tion imposed on all the Powers alike by Article VII of the Nine Powers Pact, and it has been their constant,
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sometimes even when this involved a sacrifice of their own opinion to maintain the solidarity of the Powers. It is in pursuance of this aim that His Majesty's Government are now communicating to the Powers this statement of the principles by which they believe that policy should be guided in future. They feel assured that the Powers will share the anxiety of His Majesty's Government to act towards China in the spirit which inspired the Washington Treaties, and it is their earnest hope that the Powers will agree that
that
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