The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-12
CHINESE UPHEAVAL
 CLOSELY WATCHED
England Is Anxious Over
 Japanese Aspirations
IN BRITISH SPHERE
Japan Shows Signs of Encroaching on English Territory-British and American Interests BecOm-
 ing Identical in China

American Interests BecOm- ing Identical in China
 Londcn, January 15-(Special With a considerable degree of anxiety the British recple are watching the situation in the east. The news that Yuan Shin-kai has accepted the throne, marking the probable end of the Chinese republic, which no
 one in England ever believed in. has just ccne It is feared that it will mark an unheayal ill Asia that will be of serious conseqrenoe In official circles here it is considered that Yuan Shih-kaTs army over which he has pretty thorough con trol, which was not the case with the Manchus when they were overthrown, in 1911, will prove able to handle any revo- luticnary situation, and it is not the pros- pect of internal strife that arouses ap- Ire l.crs sion. What causes most concern Is the attitude which Japan will take and the course which the government in Tokio will follow.
 It Is considered quite likely that Yuan's coup etat, if the fruition of such long drawn scheme can be called that, will at least create the opportunity for Japan to make forward move that will tighten the grip she has taken, since the begin hing of the war, on China. Some weeks
 age Japan, supported by England,, Rus sia and France, who were none too en- thLsiastic in following the lead Japan took, wa Il Shih-kai against the este bllshment of a monarchy. President Yuan now has gone ahead. it is hoped that he has accorded his plans with Jap
 anese ideas, ss possibly is the case, so that nc excuse will offer to Japan to descend upon China
 So far as China is concerned the Brit ish people generally regard Japanese as- pirations and intentions with as much apprehension Ss do the people of the United States. Since the beginning of
 the val Japan has done several things which lave not met with approval in Britain. They have shown a determined
 intention not to be bound by any previous
 claims for special Spheres Of influence"
 in China, including those of England
 The British have always held that the
 Yaugtze valley is a British preserve
 just as the Germans have claimed the
 province of Shantung. There are now
 evidences that Japan purposes paying lit-
 tie more attention to this claim than to
 tlat of Germany in Shantung. which she G ptCred by force of arms. The ir- vasion of the Yangtze, however, will be
 a matter of peaceful penetration so far as England is concerned.
 REAL DANGER SEEN
 The real danger as seen by English- | men who have interests China is that if there is revolution in China, follow ing President Yuans declaration Of in- ttrtion to become Emperor, the Japanese gov crnn'ent will seize tne oppor;un:ly
 created to porr Japanese troops intc the corrtry. If chaos ensues, as well may be, Japan is the only nation able to send so,oiers to protect foreigners and foreign. property, unless the United States should send troops from the Philippines, but in any event these would be only a handful. II is aXiorna tic in the far east that where once Japanese troops ercamp they never leave.
 If there is resolution it will first ap- pear in the south Ranking will be d center. and so will Wuchang and Han I.ow, where the revolution of 1911 began These places are all on the Yangtze river within the British sphere arc a,so in the richest part of the whole country. The invasion of the Japanese there will be most dstasteful to British interests anG very dangerous to the predominance of British trade. Japan has made no secret of Ter desire tc gain foothold ii, those regions and in London it is con- sldered doubtful if the Tolzio government will be able to resist the temptation " hch soon will offer, or if it doesn't, which could so easily be made to offer. It may appear curious that there should exist suspicion in this country of Japan, Britain's ally, but the fact remains that it is so. and since the beginning of the war. at least the Japanese government has done nothirg to allay it. British China traders fear more the business competition of the Japanese than that of any other country. including even Ger mary despite the vast strides German mercbs Its were, before the war, making. in China
 The whole far eastern problem is be- coming one Of more and more importance and is causing not g little anxiety. It is ro more to Britain's interests than to those of America that Japan should ob- tain a firm hold on China as well as l expanding her island empire into the i Pacific, which sine shows distinct signs of intending Go do. England is not, at 1 the moment, in position to take steps ] against such Japanese expansion, but l it is becoming increasingly obvious that
 at tho end of the war there will have l to be a settlement which in all probabil- { ty, will be wholly to the liking of Japan Furthermore, it seems entirely probable i that the identity of inerests will bring 1 England and America together, working l in conjunction to keep open the door in | China and to preserve and protect theit Pacific possessions--the Philippines, Guam i and Hawaii in the case of the United ] Borneo and other islands in the case of
 Great Britain.