Directory_and_Chronicle_1903 — Page 170

THE MANCHURIAN CONVENTION.

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SIGNED AT PEKING, 8TH APRIL, 1902.

The following is a translation in English of the text of the above convention :--- His Majesty the Emperor and Ruler of all the Russias and H. M. the Emperor of China, with the object of re-establishing and consolidating the good neighbourly relations broken by the rising which took place in 1900 in the Celestial Empire, have named as Plenipotentiaries to establish an understanding on certain questions concerning Manchuria M. Paul Lessar and Prince Ching together with Wang Wen- shao, respectively. The above Plenipotentiaries furnished with full powers which have been found sufficient, have agreed to the following stipulations :-

Art. I.-H.M. the Emperor of all the Russias being desirous of giving a new proof of his love of peace and of his sentiments of friendship towards H.M. the Emperor of China in spite of the fact that it was at different points of the Manchurian frontier that the first attacks against the peaceable Russian population were made, consents to the re-establishment of authority by the Chinese Government in the aforesaid Province, which remains an integral part of the Empire of China, and restores to the Chinese Government the right to exercise governmental and admin- istrative powers as they were before the occupation by the Russian troops.

Art. II.—In taking possession of the governmental and administrative rights in Manchuria, the Chinese Government accepts equally with all the other articles (of this agreement) the obligation to observe strictly the stipulation of the contract with the Russo-Chinese Bank of 27th August, 1896, and according to Article No. 5 of the said contract assumes the obligations to protect by every possible means the railway and its staff, aud is equally obliged to safeguard in Manchuria the security of all Russian subjects in general who may be there, and all enterprises undertaken by them The Russian Government in view of this obligation assumed by the Govern- ment of H.M. the Emperor of China consents on its side in the case of there being no troubles whatever and if the action of the other Powers permits, to gradually withdraw all its troops from Manchuria as follows:-

(a) To withdraw in the course of six months after the signature of this Convention the Russian troops from the S.W. portion of the province of Mukden as far as the Liao River, and to restore the railway to China.

(b) To withdraw during the course of the following six months the Imperial Russian troops from the remaining part of the province of Mukden and from the province of Kirin; and--

(~) To withdraw during the following six months the remainder of the Russian troops who are in the province of Hei-lung-kiang.

Art. III.—In view of the necessity to avoid for the future the repetition of the troubles of 1900 in which in the Chinese troops stationed in the Province on the borders of Russia took part, the Russian Government and the Chinese Government undertake to instruct the Russian military authorities and the Dzian-dziuns to make an arrangement with a view to fix the number and to determine the stations of the

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