CO129-498-2 Canton boycott- opening of negotiations with the Canton Government 2-11-1925 - 23-12-1925 — Page 11

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Encloonne

1o5.

Enclosure

16.

presenting him my compliments and informing him

that I had had an interesting conversation that day with Mr. Yeung Sai-nam. This letter was

intended to serve as a credential. On December 8th

Mr. Yeung Sai-ngam returned to Hongkong and brought me a Chinese letter of a complimentary nature in the handwriting of Mr. Wong Tsing-wai and also the

draft in Chinese of a letter which it was proposed

that I should address to the Canton Government. I

attach a translation of this draft, which was in the handwriting of Mr. Fu Ping-sheung, the Foreign Secretary of the de facto Government of Canton, and which had been revised by Dr. C.C.Wu. This draft

was not acceptable to me as it stood, but with the advice of the two Chinese Members of the Legislative

Council and with the consent of the Executive

Council I prepared a counter draft, of which I

enclose a copy, and which purports to be a letter from myself to the Consul-General at Canton for

transmission to the Canton Government. On December

11th Mr. Wong Tsing-wai, after discussion with

Dr. C.C.Wu, replied: "We still hold to the original draft, for if the Nationalist Government

were to occupy the position of mediators their

efforts would be more effective in all matters

relating to a settlement". I could not, ofcourse, accept the original draft, because it would have committed me to appointing officials of the Hongkong Government as plenipotentiary delegates", whereas the Canton Government would only appoint

their officers "to mediate But I thought it

very important to find out exactly what was in the mind of Mr. Wong Tsing-wai and his advisers.

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Therefore