CO129-588-23 China- British extra-territorial rights- negotiations with China 28-3-1942 - 27-11-1942 — Page 80

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Coastal Trade and Inland Navigation.

The attitu^e of H.M.0. in this matter has been

explained in the memorandum sent to His Excellency

the United States Ambassador on the 12th November.

Employment of Filots.

This presumably refers to foreign pilots.

Shanghai is the port chiefly affected by this question,

and prior to the war there was at Shanghai a foreign

licensed pilots association functioning under a

Sino-foreign charter. H.K.O. have no wish to retain

any special privileges in this respect, but for the

safety of big ships navigating the difficult entrance

to Shanghai they consider that the Chinese Government

should agree to employ a sufficient number of

qualified foreign pilots when Shanghai again becomes

open to allied shipping and until an adequate number

of Chinese pilots can be trained to take their place.

Visita of foreign warships to Chinese ports.

H.M.G. are willing in future to seek the prior

consent of the Chinese Government for such visits by

H.M.Ships and to conform to usual international

practice in this matter.

H.M.G. have now received proposals similar to the

above from the Chinese Goverment for the amenèmení

of the British draft treaty and for an exchange of

notes. In the Sino-British exchange of notes the

Chinese Goverment wish, however, to add to the

matters for abrogation already mentioned to the United

States Government "the employment of a foreign national

as Inspector General of the Chinese aritime Customs.”

Since the United States Government are also interested

in the Chinese Customs and the financial obligations

secured thereon H.M. G. would be glad to learn their

views on this last mentioned request.

In.

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