Evening star., 1921-12-09

as she herself shall determine to for.
eign capitalists. merchants and resi-
above are made, without consultation
with China, her territory Is divided
into distinct spheres for foreign en-
terprise. To this she can by no means
9 be Indifferent.
The other group of treaties deals
with the safeguarding and defending
= of territorial rights or special inter
ests in the far east, including or spe-
!, cially mentioning China.
These all have one or more or the
> following three features:-
% A declaration that the contract
: ing parties have a special interest In
having order and pacific state OF
things guaranteed in the regions OF
, China adjacent to the territories
where the contracting powers have
occupation. and engage to support
, each other for assuring the peace and
security in these regions; or
(2) A declaration to support the In
dependence and integrity Of China and
r the maintenance of the open door Tor
, foreign commerce and to aid each
i other for the defense of the contract
ing parties special interests in said
regions; or
(3) The recognition by one contract
: ing power to the effect that, since
propnquity creates special relations,
the other contracting power has spe-
cfal interests in China.
8 Chinese Liberty Affected.
i 1t was clear that any one of the
1 foregoing three features must be of
vital interest to China. The assur-
, ance of peace and order in any part of
Chinese territory was a matter of
great concern to China herself The
maintenance of the independence and
territorial integrity of China touched
the supreme rights Of China. AS to
! the recognition of propinquity as cre-
l ating special interests in China, 1t
3 milton could not be valid. because spe-
cial interests on Chinese territory
: could not be created without the con-
: sent of China, and China has always
l contested the soundness of the doc
trine of propinquity.
agreements have been to maintain In
China conditions which intimately ef-
, fected the rights, prospects and lib.
; erty of action of China herself.
:: 1t appeared. therefore. that the Chi.
nese government has an equitable
: right to. be consulted in all agree
= ments which deal with. or pretend tt
deal with, the general situation in the
a far east. including China. Even Il
= such treaties should be animated by
an entirely friendly spirit toward
!. China. yet their bearing is such tina
9 they may involve consequences which
t | would import limitations on Chimes,
o freedom of action: and even the.
n should therefore not be made withou
: consultation with China.
8 Not Legally Binding.
r 1t may. ofcourse. be said that China
J; not being a party to such treaties
q need in no way recognize them mol
consider herself bound by any o,
: their provisions. That is legally true
But the political effect produced by G
: group of such treaties. just as in the
:, case of spheres of Influence, tends sc
y to modify the political and economic
e situation in China that no efforts or
n the part of her government can sue.
l. ceed in preserving liberty of action
;. We must look at, the total results OF
! group of such cases. IL the practice
, should be recognized that China neet
). not be consulted. In that case it is
plain that vital interests of China
. would be affected and the nature OF
! determined entirely by the action OF
: outside powers. The Chinese govern.
: ! ment would then find itself obliged tt
a move along grooves laid down by
:. others without having once had ar
n opportunity of insisting upon her owr
! life-needs as seen by herself
We must, therefore. conclude thai
r though an individual agreement may
Il on the face of it, concern only the
l. action of outside powers. if that ac.
y ernment cannot remain Indifferent tc
R it, because of the effect which con.
g. ! tinued action in making agreements
= of this kind would have upon the lib.
). | erty of movement and development o,
!, the Chinese government and nation
b itself.
Balfour Gives Opinion.
Mr.. Balfour said that If none Of hi.
colleagues desired to speak immedi,
ately he would give utterance in
formally to his first thoughts on Mr.
r Koos remarks. With the broad aspi
/ rations expressed by Mr.. Koo all mus
be in sympathy. The whole tenor Of
the discussion on China's affairs
proved the desire to remove as far as
possible the abnormal conditions ex.
isting in China and to bring relations
with China into that normal course Of
policy which regulates the relations
5 between civilized states. He was moi
n was the best means of achieving this
i. One of the most important passage:
in Mr.. koo's speech had referred tc
spheres of influence. So far as
of interest were a thing of the past
= The British government had not the
- slightest wish to prolong situation
which, SO far as they were concern.
ed, had been explicitly abandoned
}! A better way of dealing with the
already been implicitly, if not ex.
plicitly, indicated, namely, to declare
that no one wished to perpetuate
either the system of spheres of in.
terest or the international under.
standings on which they depended
How did spheres of interest come
into existence? Because at Ger.
tain period of Russian and German
aggression in China, other powers
in order to prevent China being cu
up before their eyes. had to do fol
each other what China could not dt
for herself. In China's interest, al
well as in their own. they had tt
: guard against their exclusion from
Legitimate opportunities of enter
prise. This was due, not so much t.
their own policy, as to China's wan
of policy: not in consequence of theil
own strength, but of China's weak
ness.
Favors Chinese independence
Mr.. Balfour thought it was tn,
hope of all those present to place
). China in a position to, defend her in
y terests, to protect her. neutrality anS
% no longer to be the prey Of acquis
tive powers. He did not think tina
adopting the broad principle propos
d ed by the Chinese delegation. bu
= lrather by dealing with the Difficult
ties which beset China one by one
as the committee were actually doins
7. lie. g., in their dealings with sucf
T offices, extraterritoriality. etc. Tha
), was likely to be most useful ant
fruitful method.
Another, method which ought tc
be still more fruitful, must be de-
1 pendent on China herself. All thai
that no undue Limitations, no limi.
}tatfons which were not necessitateC