CO129-580-2 Sino-Japanese War- British policy and reactions in Hong Kong and Malaya 27-7-1939 - 3-2-1940 — Page 73

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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

EXTRAORDINARY MEETING.

Monday, 31st July, 1939.

The Anglo-Japanese declaration issued on the 24th July, 1939.

The GOVERNOR:– Honourable Members of the Legislative Council, I make no apology for saying a few words on a subject which for the past few days has been the subject of widespread comment: I mean the Anglo-Japanese declaration issued on the 24th of July. In respect of this the Prime Minister said in the House of Commons:- "The declaration does not connote any change of the British Government's policy in China". A few weeks earlier, namely on the 24th of June, speaking at a mass meeting in South Wales he had said with particular reference to Japan and the Tientsin disturbances, "No British Government could submit to dictation from another Power as

to its foreign policy".

This Anglo-Japanese declaration has been the subject of so much speculation, and, in some quarters, misconstruction, that it is perfectly natural that the Chinese

in Malaya should have been seriously perturbed.

I am glad

to see that local opinion is leaning more and more to acceptance of the statement of the Prime Minister that the declaration means no change in British policy. The words which I have just quoted are plain words and cannot be misunderstood. They are perfectly clear and obviously sincere.

I have, as I say, been glad to note the attitude adopted by our local Chinese mainly because we sympathise so sincerely with them in the sufferings to which their countrymen are subjected, and we should deplore the infliction on them of

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