CO129-579-7 Sino-Japanese War- shipping on Pearl River 4-1-1939 - 9-6-1939 — Page 117

هم

In any

further communication

on this subject, please quote

No. F 328/79/10.

and address-

not to any person by name

but to--

The Under-Secretary of State,"

Foreign Office,

London, S.W.1.

117

17.

FOREIGN OFFICE.

S.W.1.

13th January, 1939.

Immediate.

(4)

(5)

Sir,

(1)

With reference to Colonial Office letter No.

53838/34/38 of the 9th January on the subject of shipping

services between Canton and Hong Kong, I am directed by Sir

John Simon to inform you that he is advised that even if war

had been declared between China and Japan and His Majesty's

Government had adopted an attitude of formal neutrality,

there would be no objection on legal grounds to permitting

Japanese ships of the type described by the Governor

Such

of

Hong Kong in his telegram No. 6 of the 4th January to visit

Hong Kong for what may be regarded as trading purposes.

would not be a case of the use of Hong Kong or its waters by

Japanese warships, and the rules of neutrality do not impose

any restrictions on trading ships owned or chartered by a

Government which are not employed in military operations.

Since at present there is no formal state of war between

China and Japan, there is all the less objection on legal

grounds to the granting of the permission in question.

2. Sir John Simon is further advised that, with

reference to the considerations mentioned in the telegram No.

7 from the Governor of Hong Kong of the 4th January, the

position/

The Under Secretary of State,

Colonial Office.