The-Hong-Kong-Weekly-Press-1900-11-10 — Page 4

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RUSSIA, CHINA, AND MANCHURIA.

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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND

[November 10, 1900. China-Japan war, and by means of this aud | And this in its turn was owing to the re- the aid of corrupt Chinese officials Russia fusal of the Coreans, after having got un managed to profit enormously by the course heard of prices from Japan for their rice in (Daily Press, 8th November).

of events which at first promised none too 1898, when Japan was short of rice, to lower No further news has come from the North, well for her. Unfortunately the decaying the price again in 1899, when Japan was no As Mr. Jox. since the first announcement, of Russia's Eastern nations are only too ready to be longer in such need of rice. reported intention to restore Newchwang to taken in by the one nation of Europe DAN says, the Corean entirely ignores such the Chinese Government, but to-day's which has any racial affinity to them. questions as supply and demand. At the London telegram reveals Russia's policy The Russians, it must be acknowledged, are | end of 1899 there must have been very large still more fully that the handing back of peculiarly fitted for the work of subduing stocks of unsold rice in Corea. The native Newchwang would have done. China is the Eastern peoples with which they come currency also has a hampering effect on invited, through the medium of LI HUNG- in contact. But the subdual does not bring trade, but Corea has adopted Japanese cur- rency so far that customs duties have to be CHANG, of course, to resume the government with it any opening of these peoples to the of Manchuria under Russian protection. world, or any marked advance on the path paid in Japanese yen; were it to be made Two questions naturally suggest them- of progress. In some articles from which Government currency throughout the coun- selves in connection with this matter. we have quoted lately from the Daily Chron- try a large expansion of trade would follow.

As far as exports from Corea are con Firstly, how can the Chinese Government icle Mr. HENRY NORMAN has drawn a vivid ! again undertake the management of Man- picture of the great railway work done by cerned no country has any interest in the churia while the Court is represented by a Russia in Central Asia; but he fails to peninsula except Japan. But the develop- crowd of fugitives in Shensi, unable to impress us with any idea of the elevation ment of Corea's exporting capacity must of course increase her buying capacity, and make up their mind to return to Peking and of the people under Russian rule. The resume the government even of Chihli? railways remain in our minds as fine pieces here is a point worth the attention of the And secondly, what is connoted by the of engineering-for strategic and military British merchant and manufacturer. At words "under Russian protection?" It is purposes. But the builders plainly belong present the British importer is at a great difficult to see what apparatus the so-called | to the party whose views are summed up by disadvantage. Take the piece-goods trade This is almost entirely in Government of China has ready for ruling a writer using the signature "A Russian for an instance. Manchuria at the present moment. There is | Publicist" in the Contemporary Review, the hands of Chinese merchants, who open wanted a fresh set of officials to take the place in the following words:—“ The Russians the bales at Chemulpo and send them round The of the various Tartar generals, etc., who have say they do not wish to be, either at home the country by Chinese pedlars. been degraded, killed, or have committed sui- or in the East, the bearers of the civilisa- Japanese sell their goods by Japanese ped cide during the past few months. Then there tion of the Western European Powers. lars, who understand far better, says Mr. are the defeated, disorganised, or disbanded “They say: We wish to maintain our JORDAN, how to deal with the Coreans than troops to be reduced to order once more. own habits and customs, and also to im do the Chinese. Again British piece-goods There are the ruined towns to be rebuilt

plant these in neighbouring foreign sub- have the additional disadvantage of having and the inhabitants to be brought back and ject races. Russia will not agree to the to be indented some six or eight months in many cases to be replaced by fresh set- "Western nations-from whom she has re- ahead, which involves no little risk, whereas tlers. The finances of Newchwang are per- "ceived her science, culture and industrial the Japanese have their manufacturing haps in a more or less satisfactory condition, development-joining her in friendly co- centres close at hand. And yet it speaks but the same cannot be said of the rest of operation in the task of civilising the well for the British manufactures that, as the

"Orient." the province. Surely the task is beyond

report says, British piece-goods have so far the power of the refugees at Hsianfu, whose

not suffered from Japanese competition in word is scarcely law in the immediate neigh-

the same line, Japanese in some instances bourhood of the interior provinces of the

having to import English goods to exchange Empire. When the Court returns to Pek-

for native produce. But in the importation ing, the Chinese may be in a position to com-

of yarn Japan seriously threatens our trade, inence the work of provincial governinent,

her import having risen from £99,749 in but it is nothing more than a mockery to

1898 to £146,830 in 1899, whereas ours fell make such a proposal to China just now.

from £8,979 to £7,496. Should the Japanese Then as to Russian protection, how far is

experiments in cotton-growing prove suc this consistent with the integrity of the

cessful, our loss will be still greater. But Empire to which in principle Russia has

Mr. JORDAN sees no reason why the trade given her adhesion ? What establishment

in English piece-goods should not be of Russian troops within the province will

developed, "provided English manufac be considered necessary to render this pro-

turers are willing to adopt their goods tection efficient? Another question to

to the requirements of the trade." continues: "Experience, however, rather which an answer would be desirable is whe- ther Russia has taken this line of action

points to the conclusion that this will- after or without consultation with the

ingness' is

a very uncertain Western Powers. In the assumption of

This unfortunately is not true of our manu- friendliness toward China which is visible

facturers only where Corea is concerned; in Russia's "invitation," there looks to be a

the same complaint is made all the world over. Mr. JORDAN suggests some remedies manifestation of that policy of aloofness from the Western nations which

like papers

with regard to the British piece-goods trade the Novoe Vremya and other St. Petersburg

in Corea, but they apply also to a much A short journals steadily advocate now.

(Daily Press, 9th November.)

wider range. Firstly, there is necessary an time ago on the occasion of the visit of the

Coren is sufficiently remote from us in exhaustive study of the trade by a Manches. Shah of Persia to Russia, the Novoe Vremya Hongkong to prevent much interest being ter expert on the spot, who should travel said:"Persia, thanks to its historical taken in it, and its import trade is small through the most populous districts and see past, has come to understand that Russia enough to discourage the British merchant how far Manchester can compete with native "is the natural defender of the Oriental and manufacturer from making much effort goods and what new markets there are. "states. The Russian Tzar is de facto the to work there. But Corea is being gradual-This would, of course, involve considerable "defender of the Shah's throne. Our rela- ly opened up, and railways and mines can- "tions with Persia must, in the future, not but change the economic conditious of develop themselves in that direction, which the country. Japan, from her position, corresponds with Russia's historical mis- secures almost all the commercial benefits "sion. It is not as co-worker with the to be gained from the peninsula. The ques- West that we should appear in the tion is whether the British trader must rest "East, but as Russians, i.e., a nation content to see himself entirely driven out. "which has taken its culture from the In actual volume Corean trade fell off in West, but in whose blood there is 1899 to the extent of over £260,000, al- "much that originates from Asia." It though the gold export showed an advance of appears that Russia, or the now dominant | £55,765 on the figures of the previous statesmen in Russia, wish to extend this year. But Mr. JORDAN warns us that it must not be inferred from this that the same policy to China and to teach China to look to Russia as defender against all other country's trade is declining. The fall was aggressors. The idea is not, of course, new. due to the fact that the export of rice was It was well developed at the time of the less by £137,671 than in the previous year.

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All this, no doubt, has been repeated many times by men whose words should carry weight, but they have been contemp- tuously dismissed as Russophobes. Mean- | while Russia's policy continues and deve- lops. Is Manchuria finally coming under the same system which has absorbed almost all Central Asia and the whole of the North? The Powers mainly, of course, Great Britain-have shown themselves ac- comodating in the past, and are very likely to accept the situation under the guise of a Russian "protection of Manchuria. As far as the trade of Manchuria is concerned, it perhaps matters little that it should be But the lost to the rest of the world.

Power which encircles and dominates North China is certain ultimately to secure the trade of North China. And this is a pro- spect which it is hard to imagine all the Powers will face with equanimity.

THE TRADE OF COREA.

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factor."

"but

time and expense; the ordinary merchant could not undertake the task, as he must stop at the treaty ports to look after his interests. Again, to open up new markets a knowledge of the native language is necessary, this seems the last thing an English mer

The Germans, chant thinks of doing." "always more pratical than we are," says Mr. JORDAN, "have been quick to recognize

this fact, and now it is almost the excep. "tion to find a German commercial house in the East in which there is not at least one man able to talk business with the “natives in their own dialect; there is one British firm in Corea and one German «firm;

it is almost superfluous to say that

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