The Washington herald., 1922-01-20
TO BARE TREATIES
Third Step Maintaining
Celestial Integrity Will
Be Taken Today.
PUBLICITY PLAN
FAVORED BY KOO
Minister Says China Her.
self Should Know of
Many Agreements.


China's sovereign integrity was
taken yesterday. The committee on
Pacific and Far Eastern affairs
unanimously adopted resolutions
which provide for China refusing
/ preference in railway matters TO
any nation, or nationals. and pledg-
ing all Of the nations here repre-
/ sented to do all possible toward
creating a unified system Of Chinese
railways. This is designed 10 pro-
vide the proper main arteries over
which Chinas great wealth 81
natural resources will be developed.
The third step will he consum-
mated today. II is very impor-
tsnt one. II is designed to have
recorded for the benefit Of all of
the powers represented here every
commitment that is known whether
I through a treaty OF understanding.
affecting China in any way. This
would bring into the open at once
all Of the secret treaties. including
those evolved during the great
war Some OF these treaties only
have been hinteS at
II will be provided that an Of
the treaties. understandings and the
like will be filed with the secretary
general OF the conference. They
are intended TO cover every possi-
BILE understanding. public or pri-
vate. that can survive in the light
OF day.
In this connection Minister Eoo.
! spokesman for the Chinese deleea-
tion. admitted that il was known
to himself and hiS ~eoliesAgues thas
I the existing commitments concern
ing China are very numerous BE
cause OF this fact he believed that
IL was necessary that not only the
powers here represented but China
herself should know what they
| were and who held them.
Three sugeestIons offered.
He had three suggestions 10
make. he said. They were:
That all of the powers which had
any claims or options on Chm
should make them known
That the validity OF these claims
should be determined
That. after the validity of Surh
claims had been established steps
should be taken TO hsrmonize them
one with another and 20 adjus
I them to the resolutions guarantee
ing the open door.
l. Discussing the first suggestion.
I the Chinese spokesman said:
The principle Of publicity for in
ternational agreements is a sound
and useful one. There arc particu-
larly urgent grounds for observing
l them in regard TO China. Many ~
the commitments were entered into
under very uncertain circumstsnc.S
They are based upon letters or Ncr-
l bal statements Of some times > sill
gle Chinese official. many times not
even approved by the central gov
4 ernment.
so long as any International en-
gaEement was kept secret. u was
bound to give ris" either TO spec
ulation or suspicion. n nothing
was known concerning IL. tho situ-
alton would not be less unsatisfar-
tory because other powers might
unwittingly adopt policies whicu
ran counter TO such secret engage
ment. II IL were merely suSpected
| that a commitment existed the
other powers are likely to adopt
policies with a view to counter
! acting the apprehended extent Of
such secret agreement for their
own Interest. From stilr another
point of view IL was very desirahI.
that the international commitments
OF and relating 60 China Should
be known. for. without such knowl-
edge il would be difficulty for China
either to satisfy claims based upon
such engagement. or 20 contest
them ~ she deemed them unfound-
ed. The same holds true for other
powers.
Nothing 20 Keep secret.
China is ready to make public
every known international commit
ment. So far as the Chinese dele
cation is concerned the only en-
gaGement China has entered into
which is not completely known about
which there was inquiry regard
Ing the exact nature is the treaty
Of 1886 with Russia. known as the
Li-Lebanoff treaty II any OF thu
members of the committee desire
to be made fully conVersant with
the terms the delegation will sub
init them" -
Secretary Hughes stated that d.
, believed a full disclosure OF every
thing was very advisable.
He thought IL would be 10 the
advantage Of the conference that
I
informa tion in respect TO commit
ments relating To China should now
he supplied. This In itself. he
thought, would largely. Il not en-
tirely. take care OF the ncbulous
claims TO which Mr.. Koo had re-
ferred. In other words, a valid
claim could be stated and its basis
could be set forth: IL IL were too
nebulous TO be listed. and at the
same time IL was understood that
all engagements were listed. he
doubted IT, in the future, there
would be any basis for pressing IT,
Further. the question Of validity =
really hsd relation to something
that could be defined. and in re-
spect to which an argument as -
validity or invaiidity could be con-
Quoted. A mere nebulous assertion
Of some right without any basis