CO129-567-5 Traffic of arms to China and Japanese air-raids on Kowloon-Canton railway 11-4-1938 - 19-1-1939 — Page 207

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(F 7343/287/10).

SECRET SINO-FRENCH DEFENCE PACT?

NEGOTIATIONS FOR HAINAN PROTECTORATE RUMOURED.

PLAN FOR CONSTRUCTION OF STRATEGIC RAILWAYS.

Special to The Straits Times.

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FRANCO-Chinese negotiations regarding military measures

for the defence of the strategically important

South China island of Hainan are going on at the

present moment, according to a Japanese news agency.

It is asserted in Tokio that representatives of the

Chinese Central Government have gone to Hanoi, Indo-China,

to negotiate with the Governor-General of French Indo-

China, M. Brevie.

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It is declared that, in spite of repeated French denials,

a secret agreement does exist between France and China,

according to which France has pledged herself to provide

China with military advisers and war material

G

deliveries

to be made via Haiphong railway to the South China province

of Yunnan.

In return for this assistance, the Japanese agency

declares that the Chinese Government has promised France certain

mining and transportation concessions in China.

Emphasis is placed upon the fact that such a military

pact would constitute extreme peril to Japan and the Japanese

agency intimates that Hainan will in all probability become

the objective of Japanese bombers should such an agreement be

concluded.

The Japanese Government had obtained unofficial

information that a contract had been signed by the brother

of the Chinese Finance Minister, Mr. T.V. Soong and a French

Company