862
(Daily Press, 2nd May.)
In reply to an enquiry made by the Cham- ber of Commerce the Government stated the other day that "the functions of the "Chinese Customs have censed within the
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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"the presence in Hongkong of an Imperial "Chinese Customs official and a Customis "office and staff." From now until Octo- ber, the date fixed for the removal of the Customis stations, is not a very long time, but even for that period, brief as it is, it is in the last degree undesirable that the Chinese flag should be allowed to fly in the colony under circumstances calculated to convey the impression that Chinese jurisdiction still exists.
[May 6, 1899,
practicable agreement in the recognition of each other's field of operations may be laid down.
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THE CHINESE CUSTOMS AND THE ment certain assistance in the protection of
NEW TERRITORY.
its revenue, and, apart from the written pledge, common equity demands that the colony should not seek to use the advant- The Japanese statement is to the effect ages conferred by its geographical position that a sketch of the pourparlers passing for smuggling proposes; but whatever it been the Russian Minister for Foreign may finally be decided to do on behalf of the Affairs and Sir Nicholas O'CONDE, the Chinese revenue let it be done under our own British Ambassador at St. Petersburg, has area of the new territory and the ex-flag and not under the Chinese flag. The reached the Government at Tokyo, and the "tended waters of the colony. By arrange- Customs will no doubt continue to maintain papers of that city then proceed to give a "ment with Her Majesty's Government the an office in the colony-they also maintain summary of which each party wants or "three stations of Capsuimoon, Fotochow, one in London-but let it be an office exist-proj oses. According to this account, Great "and Cheungchow are permitted to reing, simply for statistical purposes and not | Britain proposes that the central portion of "main in the occupation of the Chinese exercising any coercive jurisdiction. In the "Customs until accommodation on their letter addressed by the China Association new frontier has been provided, but to the Marquess of SALISBURY in Novem- "not later than October next, and on her last; the following passage occurs: "the condition that no coercive functions "The Kowloon Commissioner is, as a matter "will be performed by them in the waters "of fact, located in Hongkong, where he "of the colony." Does this occupation "bas an office and a staff. His presence is give the right to fly the Chinese flag? We not, however, recognised officially; nor- should say most. decidedly not, seeing that "thanks in a great measure, no doubt, to it is not a political occupation, but merely "the discretion of the officers who have an 'occupation by suffrance. If the Customs "held the post-has their presence been wëre not required to actually haul down seriously resented. No very definite the Chinese flag it ought at least to be over- objection could, in fact, be offered so long shadowed by the British flag, in order to AS no official status was assumed, nor avoid any possibility of doubt as to the "official action unduly obtruded. It is Bovereignty over the territory, and the quite another thing, however, when the Chinese fing, if for any reason it is allowed" Government is asked to formally recognise to float at all, should be confined absolutely to the buildings in the occupation of the Customs. Such, however, is not the case, and at Capguimoon in particular grave scandal has been caused by the state of affairs now existing. We are informed that the Chinese flag is still floating from a flagstaff on the top of the hill behind the Custom-house at Ma-wan, where it is daily seea by hundreds of Chinese travelling by the Canton steamers as they steam through Capsuimoon Pass and by numerous American and European tourists. The flagstaff is situated some distance from the station; the position is a splendid one, and to contribute to the impression that the territory is still Chinese it is reported that a brand new Chinese flag was hoisted on the 17th April, the date upon which the New Territory was to have been taken over by the British had not the treachery of the Chinese necessitated taking possession the day previous. Whether the use of a
new flag was intentional or a mere accident of the Service it is just the sort of thing that would please the Chinese officials and give then an opportunity of holding the British up to coutempt aud ridicule amongst the people. As already stated, the flagstaff occupies a splendid position, being seen by great numbers every day, and if the British flag were hoisted there it would make these travellers realise that we have actually taken over the territory; it would bring the fact home to them, especially as they have been used to see the Chinese flag there. European and American travellers who have made enquiries on their voyage up to Canton as to the New Territory of which they have heard, how far it extended, and so on, have, we under- stand, expressed great surprise at seeing the Chinese flag flying on British soil and have been much perplexed as to its mean- Ing, as they well might be. It seems most desirable that the British flag should be hoisted without loss of time at or near the Chinese Customs stations, and more par ticularly at Capsuimoon, which is more seen than all the others put together.
Whatever assistance may be given to the Chinese Government in protecting its re- venue should be given without creating any mistaken impression as to where the sovereignty lies. The British Government is pledged to render the Chinese Govern-
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GREAT BRITAIN AND RUSSIA IN CHINA.
(Daily Press, 29th April.)
China, south of the Yellow Sen (a vague. boundary which is suggestive of guess-work) including the Yangtsze Valley, be included in the sphere of British influence, and that Newchwang be made a free port and ex- cluded from the sphere of either country. Russia, on her part, proposes that the Yellow River should form the boundary of the spheres of influence of the two countries, but opposes Newchwang being made a free port on the ground that it, being north of the Yellow River, should be recoguised as in the Russian sphere of in- fluence. It would be impossible for Great Britain to recognise all the territory north of the Yellow River as the Russian sphere, for this would embrace Kansub, Shensi, Shansi, the whole of Chihli and Shantung, and n amall part of Honan and Kinagsu. Even if Great Britain were disposed to yield this in consideration of the whole of Central China being recognised as within her sphere, Germany would object to Shantung "being regarded as within the Russian sphere: More- over, Great Britain has larger interests in the trace of Tientsin and Chefoo than in that of Newchwang. To contend for the latter being made a free port und abandon all claims on the other ports would be to straint a goat and swallow a camel.. “No doubt, however, the light of reason and common sense would be turned on to any discussion of these spheres of influence and The statement made by Japanese papers in vested interests would be carefully respected. reference to the progress of the negotia-Unless this were guaranteed there would be tions between Great Britain and Russia to scanty likelihood if any modus vivendi being arrive at an understanding as to their re- discovered for reconciling divergent in- spective spheres of influence "in the Far terests. East, if not actually true, is evidently a shrewd guess at the position. That such negotiations are going on has long been known, and it has more than once been reported that they had either been brought to a satisfactory conclusion or that a basis of agreemeut had been arrived at ; as a matter of fact, they are still proceeding. It has been very generally agreed both in Eng- land and Russia that such an understanding is eminently desirable, and the Ministries in both countries appear to be laudably anxious to get rid of all causes for friction between two great Western Powers which have, by the trend of events, been gradually brought into nearer and nearer neighbour- hood in Eastern Asia. It has at last, apparently, dawned upon the officials of the two countries that each has a distinct mission in Asia, and that in prosecuting it there is no necessity for any conflict of interests. | The use of tact, the candid recognition of each other's rights, and a little give and take in connection therewith, ought to serve effectually to prevent misunderstandings and avert disagreements. It is true, unfortunately, that between the fiscal and commercial policies of the two Empires there is a great gulf fixed, but while Russia is ripening into a better and juster apprecia tion of a liberal tariff, Great Britain should be able to conceive some basis on which a
the new flag was hoisted and that the reason was that,
• We have since heard that it was on the 25th April the old one needed repairing.
The trouble with Powers like Russia and
France, which are strongly protective, is that they are never prepared to grant the same liberty of trade that Great Britain gives. The net result is, therefore, that while in all British Colonies foreigners find full liberty to go and come, to carry on busi ness with the minimum of cost, and on a footing of perfect equality with British merchants, the latter are heavily handi- cpped in territories leased or occupied by protectionist countries like Russia and France. In the negotiations now proceed- ing the existing ncquisitions of Western Powers in China are no doubt treated as facts accomplished, but what about the possible claims of Italy, Austria, Holland, and Belgium to have a domain of influence in the corpus? The question is not one that can be settled off-hand, even if the two principals can come to a condition of complete harmony. Nevertheless, it is of greatest importance not only to Great Bri- tain but also to the whole Eastern world that the standing causes of difference be tween these great Powers should be removed and a pacific agreement arrived at. We hope that this will be the result of the negotiations, and that it may further be the means of breaking up the eccentric alliance between France and Russin, which has hitherto been of little real advantage to the former Power, merely serving to enable her to persevere with her policy of pin-pricke towards Great Britain,
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