Evening star., 1938-10-30
France and Japan.


cipal cities as we'll as important railways
under her control, and with the armies
OF General Chang kai-shek beaten back
into the mountains of Central China,
Japan has taken steps to cut of the last
source of war supplies for the enemy by
menacing an Asiatic possession of France.
The japanese Ambassador in Paris
Friday informed the French government
that unless it halts the flow of arms to
China by way of Indo-China and the
narrow gauge Hanoi Yunnan railway
Japan might be compelled to take
measures and his words echo in Pre-
mier Konoye's warning to the French Am
bassador that the japanese government
is "gravely concerned with possible de-
velopment of the situation
The measures" which Japan might
take, it is inferred. would be seizure of
Hainan Island, strategically placed in
the Gulf of Tongking, just off the tip of
South China. Hainan has been con-
slant lure to Japanese militarists be-
cause of its proximity to French 1ndo-
China and its value as base from which
japanese planes could sever the Yunnan
railway by bombing.
Although the effect of such ma
neuver would be to cut of the last line
of supply for General Chang, and thus
isolate the Chinese army almost COM
pletely from the outside world. the more
far-reaching effect lies in the threat to
the French colonial empire.
Hainan is Chinese although it is
within the French sphere of influence
recognized by the Franco-Japanese and
the Franco-Chinese treaties of 1907. Its
seizure would not in itself constitute an
encroachment upon French territory any
more than the invasion of the Yangtze
valley, which was recognized British
sphere Of influence, was an invasion of
British territory. But possession of
F2inan would place French Indo-China,
an extremely valuable segment of the
French empire, completely at the mercy
OF Japan.
The entire colony is exceedingly vul-
nereble to japanese aerial and naval
asss ult, for the French fleet in the Far
East is small and can offer scant resist
ance to the operations of the Japanese
fleet and aviation.
Il Japan really intends to be supreme
in the Far East, as it appears she does,
the question of the colonial possessions
there of European powers will come to the
fore Immediately after she has consoli-
dated her hold upon China, whether
that be in two years, five or ten. Ulti-
mately both France and Great Britain
are going to be confronted with the de-
mand that Japan's interest, as the eco
nomic and political guardian of Eastern
Asia, requires the surrender of Indo-
China and Hong Kong. The latter, de-
pendent as it is upon Chinese trade, can
be strangled peacefully out of existence,
but enforcement of the demand for
Indo-China will depend upon japanese
possession of Hainan. At least the
coercive effect of such possession would
be overwhelming, for France maintains
no armed force in Indo-China compa-
rable to that which Japan could land on
the shores OF the Gulf OF Tongking.
While Premier Daladier attempts to
turn France toward her colonial empire,
as an alternative to challenging Ger
many's hegemony in Europe, the fate of
1ndo-China comes into question. At the
same time the German claim for resto-
ration of her war-lost colonies menaces
Frances empire in Africa. Thus, forced
by the rise of Fascist power in Europe
to seek consolation in her colonies
France finds herself confronted there
with still another menace.
A,&~. -