CO129-562-26 China- extra-territoriality 16-6-1937 - 9-7-1937 — Page 12

•

SECRET

12.

る

FOR SECRET RECORD IN DEPARTMENT,

EXTRACT

18.6.37.

Haustan's

CABINET

24 (37)

from Conclusions of a Meeting held on

Wednesday, 16th June, 1937.

CHINA.

Extra-Territori-

ality in.

(Previous

Reference: Cabinet 92 (31), Con- clusion 3.)

3.

The Cabinet had before them a Memorandum by the

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (C.P.-153 (37))

stating that the United States Government requested

the views and observations of His Majesty's Government

on the question of the resumption of negotiations for

the abolition of extra-territoriality in China. The

United States Government were in favour of resumption,

and enquired whether His Majesty's Government thought

it would be better for the foreign Governments to take

the initiative in approaching the Chinese Government,

or to await proposals from China. An interim reply had

been sent to the United States Embassy favouring the

latter course pending a decision on the important points

of policy involved. The Secretary of State suggested

that negotiations should be begun on the basis of a

draft Treaty drawn up in June, 1931, since when the

whole question of extra-territoriality had remained in

abeyance. The greatest difficulty arose out of the

peculiar position of the International Settlement at

Shanghai and the neighbouring areas, which were excluded

from the operation of the draft Treaty, and the Secretary

of State suggested that it would be best to insist now,

as in 1931, on complete exclusion, in order to afford

time for further negotiations. It seemed desirable,

also, in view of the present conciliatory attitude of

the Japanese, to propose to them to adopt the same

attitude as ourselves and the United States over the

question of extra-territoriality

a point on which

His