New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-07-23
FOREIGN INTERESTS IN CHINA.

Russias interests in China, we have said, are
POLITICAL territorial and strategic 1t is absolutely
necessary for her, if she is ever to make the
eastern part of Siberia of any value, TO control
Manchuria and the adjacent provinces in China
down to the Hoang-Ho. To do so she will spare no
expense and effort Her Trans Siberian rail
road and her fortresses at VladivOstok are steps
TO that end. 1t was her fear that Japan would
gain a footing in that region and thus be in her
way that led her to oppose Japanese interven-
ton at Picking, even at the cost of sacrificing
the legations. 1t is not altogether inconceivabe
that the forward party in Russia, at any rate
regards with satisfaction the aggreSsions of Chi
nese raiders on the AmoOr, because they will
afford Russia an ample pretext from the Rus
sian point of view, for proceeding remOrselessly
to the complete conquest of the northeastern
corner of the Chinese Empire Russia has little
commerce with China, save in the way of pur
chases. She imports tea and silks from China
but she exports practically nothing to China
The open door is therefore a matter of no con
sequence to her, except to be regarded with dis
favor All that Russia wants in China is China
herself or a part Of her. Territorial aggrandize-
ment and extension of sovereignty are her aims
The interests Of France at the southeast are
similar TO those of Russia 1t is true that she
has much greater commercial interests in China
as a seller than Russia has or is likely to have
But France, too has already established an
Asian Empire, which marches with China at
the south as Russia's does at the north 1t con-
sists Of territory formerly an appanage of
China. And France would like to add to it,
partly for the simple sake Of enlarging her do
main and partly to secure the tranquility Of her
Tonquin provinces. Such territorial acquisition
is not as necessary to her it is to Russia, but
1t is sufficiently desirable to make it the para
mount issue in this campaign.
Exactly the reverse are the interests of the
other Powers Great Britain, for example shuns
and breads any considerable acquisition Of Chi
nese territory She would be most reluctant to
take il as a gift. She already has a superfuity
of alien lands and races to care for. But com
MERGE is to her her all in all. Her commerce
with China is enormous vastly exceeding
that of any other nation. She recognizes the
fact that its possibilities Of future expansion are
great beyond expression. China is indeed the
chief market of the future, and TO maintain
commanding place therein is practically neces-
sary TO Great Britain's continued prosperity It
is a matter of commercial life or death to her
to keep the Chinese door open and TO keep her
place in the Chinese market. Just as purely
commercial are the Chinese interests of the
United States, and even more marked is this
Nations repugnance to the very thought of ac-
quring Chinese territory. The only difference
between the two in their Chinese interests is
that the Chinese trade is not nearly as essential
to the United States as it is to Great Britain,
though its value and Importance to this coun-
try could scarcely be exaggerated. German in
terests in China are also chiefly commercial. as
witness her sale to China Of the hundreds of
thousands of Mauser rifles and the Krupp guns
with which China is armed and with which
she is Strengthening foreigners 1t is not CON
ceiVabe that Germany desires, unless under
compulsion, to acquire any extended possessions
of Chinese territory. Her seizure of Kiao-Chau
was not a step toward wide territorial con-
quests. 1t was meant partly to impress China
with a realization Of Germany's power and
partly to afford a base from which to guard
commercial interests. Germany is now essen