CO129-512-3 Termination of Chinese arms embargo 2-3-1929 - 19-4-1929 — Page 14

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It now appears that the Powers will be

able to agree to retire jointly from the Arms Embargo Agreement. Our policy after that is

discussed in Nos.38 and 39. The new position

will apparently be that arms may legally be imported into China if approved by the Central Goverment (or by provincial Governments if the

Central Government allows them that authority).

The question arises whether the Chinese should be

ridiralousted left to enforce this restriction themselves or that if as appens

is has refores export of arms either by British subjects or from testupre

is

whether we should assist them by prohibiting the

well hems British territory unless authorised by the Chinese

Marit

"May

>

Government. The requisite machinery for

preventing if necessary the export of arms from

this country exists in the Prohibition Order of

1921, and similar local legislation exists in the

Straits and Hong Kong. Sir M. Lampson proposes,

however, to defer consideration of this and we

are, therefore, not called upon to take any action

immediately. The other question of whether we

ought to try and prevent Hong Kong being used as

a depot for illicit arms traffic to China must,

in the first place, await the Foreign Office reply

to No.33. This is in fact the important thing

so far as Hong Kong and the Straits are concerned

as they do not themselves manufacture any arms and are

only concerned with arms passing through them.

M122/4

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arpened

J. Cami

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19.4.29