CO129-529-4 China- extraterritoriality 23-11-1931 - 31-12-1931 — Page 75

75

normally ve accorded to a foreign country by any European power.

If it were explicitly stated in course of negotiations or

stipulated in new Treaty that all Dominions were to enjoy

privileges which Great Britain was alone in a position to bargain

or that they should sign Treaty along with Great Britain the

Chinese might be tempted to contrast severs restrictions on

Chinese Nationals resident in the Union or Australia with

liberal treatment to be accorded to all British subjects in China.

(In this connection you will recall strong protests already

received from Chinese Chargé d'Affaires in London against property

restrictions imposed upon Chinese traders in the Transvaal).

Best way out of the difficulty in Van den Heever's opinion would

be for the United Kingdan only to negotiate and sign the Treaty

it being understood that privileges accorded British subjects

and ships should be claimed to include all His Majesty's subjects

and ships. But he also proposes to advise the Union Government

that reasons which render Dominion participation and inclusion

in a ratification clause undesirable from Union point of view

apply with equal force to inclusion in accession and "nevertheless"

clauses, It is apparently his hope that Chinese will grant

privileges with regard to subjects and ships without insisting upon Dominions acceding to the Treaty within a specified period

of time. In this connection please see Article 31 of

Anglo German Treaty of 1925. If such an arrangement were possible it would no doubt suit Union Government admirably; having no

commercial relations with China they attach no value to never the less clause and are not really much concerned about treatment of few Union Nationals 11kely to be involved. Van Den Heever was

reminded