Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-19
CHINA MAY NUL[|FY
TREATY WITH j. S.
Latest Note and Other Moves
Held to Indicate Action
by January /.
BY WILLIAM RUFUS SCOTT.


Any doubt that China's latest note to
the United States revealed an intention
of proclaiming the treaty between the
two countries on extraterritoriality re-
voked, If an agreement to that effect
shall not have been reached prior to
January /, is being removed by an
nouncements and events at Marking
and in Geneva. ..s'
The note, made public last Friday,
received generally Scant attention be-
cause of the absorbing news Of the
probable Anglo-American naval accord
The full text of the note shows, how
ever that 1t has q certain, peremptory
tone hitherto absent from Chinese notes,
and that 1t seemingly gives an ulti-
matum to the United States to agree to
end the treaty privileges before China
arbitrarily abolishes them regardless OF
the treaty.
Latest Chinese Action.
From Marking today comes news that
a preparatory committee for abolition
Of extraordinarily" has been appoint
ed. Whether this committee is TO plan
ChinaS course after January l Is yet TO
be offlcially stated, though that infer
ence is one that might be drawn from
the action.
THE Chinese government requests, =
says the concluding paragraph OF
Chinas note, the American Govern
ment to enter into immediate discus
sions with authorized representatives OF
| the Chinese government for making the
necessary arrangement whereby extra
! territoriality in China will be abolished,
to the mutual satisfaction OF both gov
! ernments." -
The words requests" and "immedi-
ate" denote an imperativeness and
urgency which seldom have inquired In
! the diplomatic correspondence OF other
nations with the United States.
Tribute to U. s. Idealism.
But in preceding paragraphs OF the
note China. despite a flowery tribute
to the idealism of the United States,
argues with trace Of asperity that the
granting of full equality to Turkey
makes a similar policy toward China its
legitimate expectation. incidentally, the
Turkish treaty has not been ratif1ed by
| the Senate. A..
TT has been perhaps brought to the
knowledge of the American Government
that the Chinese government has re,
Gently concluded treaties with several
/ other powers. which have agreed 10 re-
linouish extraterritorial privileges on
January /, 1890" the note says, ana
then gives what apparently Is an ulti-
matum:
There is no reason why the United
States should not act In unison
with these powers, thus removing the
difficulty which the Chinese government
might otherwise encounter In extending
jurisdiction over all foreign nationals;
What reply the United States Will
make is not known at this time. But
the last preceding paragraph appears TO
be a clear intimation that II the united
states does not Voluntarily accede 10
abolition of extraordinarily before the
end of this year it will be confronted
with a situation wherein China Will
remove" the difficulty by her single
action.
Nankinx Reiterates Stand.
As il to make sure that no doubt OF
this would be entertained in Washing
ton, Chinas ministry of foreign AFFAIRS
was quoted in an authoritative state
ment to that effect to the Associated
Press this week in Marking. 1t was
stated that DR.. C. G. WI would con-
tinue at the League Of Nations Assem-
bly, in Geneva to put China's position
before the powers on the issues OF ex-
traterritoriality.
In the event negotiations with the
United States, the Leagues efforts and
the privileges enjoyed by treaty in
China, Marking foreshadowed what its
action on January ! will be.
Thus the United States itself may be
involved in the FIRST. real test OF the
Kellogg pact, although for two months
it has seemed that Russia and China
would furnish that test in the dispute
over China'S seizure Of the Manchu-
rian railroad. The aggreSsiveneSs OF the
Chinese Nationalist regimes toward all
nations having treaty rights in China,
it is noted, has been particularly marked
since the Kellogg pact was signed.
In some quarters this Is held to be
due to China's belief that the big pow
ers have tied their hands by the Kellogg
pact, making war improbable, and
therefore giving China the opportunity
to push its claims without fear of at
tack Russia signed the pact as well as
so other nations.
Position of United States.
The note of the United States to
China, dated August 10, had defined the
American position as follows:
The American Government would be
ready to participate in negotiations
which would have as their object the
devising of method for the gradual re-
linquishment of extraterritorial rights,
or as to particular kinds of jurisdiction,
or as to both, provided that such grad
ual REIMBURSEMENT proceeds at the same
time as steps are taken and improve
ments are achieved by the Chinese gov
eminent in the enactment and effective
enforcement of laws based on modern
concepts of jurisprudence"
The Chinese note, in reply, declared
fatty that no gradual REIMBURSEMENT
was necessary and that China already
was able to guarantee justice to Ameri-
cans accused of crime in China or seek
ing legal redress in courts. At present
American citizens are tried in American
consular courts. What China may do
beyond proclaiming the treaty rights
ended on January l is merely specula-
ton now.
Here again the unsettled point of ag-
erosion under the Kellogg pact bobs
up. If China declares the treaty null
and void, would that be considered an
aggression against the United States?
or could China do as she has done re-
garding the Manchurian Railroad. seize
it and stand pat within her boundaries.
thus making it appear that Russia or
the United States is the aggressor II
either makes move to protect It's
treaty rights?
s.Ia Asnna1~-AM nAAA1 mint