CO129-529-4 China- extraterritoriality 23-11-1931 - 31-12-1931 — Page 121

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.]

To CHINA,

Code telegram to Sir M. Lampson, (anking),

Foreign Office, 2nd April, 1931, 6.25 p.m.

No.46. (R).

105 121

The Chinese Minister called upon me today at the House of Commons with a message from his Government to the effect that the extraterritorielity negotiations had now reached a deadlock, and to urge us to make concessions. He referred particularly to three points: evocation, criminal jurisdiction and reserved areas.

I told the Chinese Minister that on these three points still outstanding we would be prepared in order to reach a settlement to concede the request of the Chinese Government in regard to two, namely evocation and criminal jurisdiction, but His Majesty's Government could not in view of the opposition which would be aroused in this country agree to abandon their position as regards the reserved areas. I said I considered that His Majesty's Government were going a very long way to meet the wishes of the Chinese Government.

The Chinese Minister said that, without a settle- ment, his Government would be confronted with grave difficulties when they met their constituents on the 5th of May.

I replied that in all negotiations there must be give and take, and that we had made many concessions for the sake of a friendly settlement. I appealed to the Chinese Minister to urge these considerations upon

his Government.

Before the Minister left I hended to him a short aide memoire summarising the position if His Majesty's Government, The text is contained in my immediately succeeding telegram.