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THE CHUNGKING AGREEMENT, 1890

ADDITIONAL ARTICLE TO THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND CHINA OF SEPTEMBER 13TH, 1876

Ratifications Exchanged at Peking, 18th January, 1891

The Governments of Great Britain and China, being desirous of settling in an amicable spirit the divergence of opinion which has arisen with respect to the First Clause of the Third Section of the Agreement concluded at Chefoo in 1876, which stipulates that "The British Government will be free to send officers to reside at Chungking to watch the conditions of British trade in Szechuan, that British mer- chants will not be allowed to reside at Chungking, or to open establishments or warehouses there, so long as no steamers have access to the port, and that when steamers have succeeded in ascending the river so far, further arrangements can be taken into consideration," have agreed upon the following Additional Articles :--

I.-Chungking shall forthwith be declared open to trade on the same footing as any other Treaty port. British subjects shall be at liberty either to charter Chinese vessels or to provide vessels of the Chinese type for the traffic between Ichang and Chungking.

II.-Merchandise conveyed between Ichang and Chungking by the above class of vessels shall be placed on the same footing as merchandise carried by steamers between Shanghai and Ichang, and shall be dealt with in accordance with Treaty Tariff Rules, and the Yangtsze Regulations.

III.-All regulations as to the papers and flags to be carried by vessels of the above description, as to the repackage of goods for the voyage beyond Ichang and as to the general procedure to be observed by those engaged in the traffic between Ichang and Chungking with a view to insuring convenience and security, shall be drawn up by the Superintendent of Customs at Ichaug, the Taotai of the Ch'uan Tung Circuit, who is now stationed at Chungking, and the Commissioners of Customs in consultation with the British Consul, and shall be liable to any modifications that may

hereafter prove to be desirable and may be agreed upon by common consent. IV.-Chartered junks shall pay port dues at Ichang and Chungking in accord- ance with the Yangtsze Regulations; vessels of Chinese type, if and when entitled to carry the British flag, shall pay tonnage dues in accordance with Treaty Regulations. It is obligatory on both chartered junks and also vessels of Chinese type, even when the latter may be entitled to carry the British flag, to take out at the Maritime Custom-house special papers and a special flag when intended to be employed by British subjects in the transport of goods between Ichang and Chungking, and without such papers and flag no vessels of either class shall be allowed the privileges and immunities granted under this Additional Article. Provided with special papers and flag, vessels of both classes shall be allowed to ply between the two ports, and they and their cargoes shall be dealt with in accordance with Treaty Rules and the Yangtsze Regulations. All other vessels shall be dealt with by the Native Customs. The special papers and flag issued by the Maritime Customs must alone be used by the particular vessel for which they were originally issued, and are not transferable from one vessel to another. The use of the British flag by vessels the property of Chinese is strictly prohibited. Infringement of these Regulations will, in the first instance, render the offender liable to the penalties in force at the ports hitherto opened under Treaty, and should the offence be subsequently repeated, the vessel's special papers and flag will be withdrawn, and the vessel herself refused permission thenceforward to trade between Ichang and Chungking.

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V.-When once Chinese steamers carrying cargo run to Chungking, British steamers shall in like manner have access to the said port.