CO129-571-1 Sino-Japanese War- shipping 10-1-1938 - 24-12-1938 — Page 145

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(F.188/158/10).

Code telegram to Sir R.Craigie (Tokyo).

Foreign Office. 8th January 1938. 7.15 p.m.

No.20.(R).

Shanghai telegram No.9.

It appears that Japanese authorities are trying to

prevent merchant vessels other than Japanese from proceeding

up the Yangtze while encouraging downward traffic doubtless

with a view to monopolising the river for their own shipping.

British merchant ships were granted the right to trade

upon the Yangtze by Article 10 of the Tientsin Treaty of 1858

and Section III(1) of the Chefoo Convention of 1876 and (that

by Article 52 of the former treaty British ships of war are at

liberty to visit all ports within the dominions of China i.e.

all riverine as well as maritime ports. Further, by long

continued usage British war and merchant ships have freely

navigated the Yangtse with the full consent of the Chinese

Government. Please inform the Japanese Government that His

Majesty's Government intend to continue to exercise these rights

for both warships and merchant ships and it is for the Japanese

forces to take care to identify shipping before it is attacked.

You should add that His Majesty's Government recognize

that where hostilities are actually taking place on the banks

of the river it may be advisable for safety anchorages to be

designated, but that such an arrangement is entirely without

prejudice to our treaty rights and does not in any way minimise

the duty of the Japanese to take all possible steps to avoid

damage to neutral interests.

According