Evening star., 1940-07-06
After Three Years

sary of what at Toxic is still eupho-
niously known as the North China
incident" For three years the mighty
japanese war machine has been try
ing to conquer China in a conflict
which began with the trifling affair on
the outskirts of Peiping-a skirmish
between small detachments of Japa-
nese and Chinese forces. The clash
was exploited by the war lords Of the
island empire as a pretext for long
planned and broad-Scale invasion of
the sprawling mainland republic and
the launching of that new order in
ASIA" which was to make Japan
supreme in the Far East, including
expulsion of Western powers and
demolition d their commercial in
tereSts.
Since July 7, 1887, China has Of
fered, single handed, a stubborn re-
sistance. She has paid dearly for her
lone effort. Vast stretches of her ter
ritory, measurable only in provinces
and hundreds of thousands Of square
miles, have been stripped from her
sovereignty. She has bled at every
pore. Her entire seacoast is in the
enemy's hands. Her remaining de-
pendable link with the outside world
the Burma roads momentarily
the object of controversy with Great
Britain. Japans anxiety to close
Chang Kai-shek's single route for
obtaining supplies is such that Toxic
apparently is ready for a breach
with the British, even to the point of
veiled threats of an attack to eXpel
them from Hong Kong and Singa-
pore. There are also hints that if
London persists in letting war sineWs
reach Chungking via Burma it may
drive Japan into the arms of the axis
powers" and force abandonment of
the policy of non-involvement hith-
erto pursued toward the European
war.
While the external trappings of
japanese victory" in China are i'm
pressive, the island empire yearns to
bring the costly campaign to speedy
end 1t has Sapped the nations en-
ergies and resources to the point of
exhaustion. The imperial economic
| structure is shattered to its founda-
tions. Losses of life, as we'll as treas
ure, have reached enormous dimen-
sions. The cost Of living has mount
ed inordinately. Supplies of many
essential commodities are at scarcity
| levels.
Hopes were cherished that estab-
liShment of the Wang Chingwei
puppet government would hasten the
breakdown of China's resistance.
That desperate recourse has but
strengthened her resolve to fight on.
Meantime Japan's foreign relations,
including export trade vital to her
| existence, have drifted from bad to
worse. War in Europe and abroga-
| ton of the treaty with the United
States have combined to deal dev-
astating blow to once thriving
overseas commerce, including the ca
pacity to secure exchange for needed
imports, especially materials for con-
tinuance of the China war. The
chronic emberS of conflict with Rus
sia are by no means stamped out.
Relations with the United States are
strained, with prospects of aggrava-
ton should hotspurs of the army and
navy crowd Toxic into overt acts in
the Dutch East Indies or the South
Seas-that wide expanse which For
eign Minister Arita recently staked
out as Japanese Monroe Doctrine"
sphere.
China is putting up battle that
commands the respect of the world.
1t is maintained against tremendous
odds. 1t is of so tenacious charac-
ter that millions of Americans are
ardent supporters Of aid to the Chi
nese short of war"-at least of pol
icy which would embargo exports of
munitions and other supplies, with
out which Japan's campaign of ag-
gression could not long be kept going.
Meantime, the American people
should not forget that as long as the
japanese war machine is compelled
to concentrate on China, it is in no
position to threaten the United States
or seriously menace our Pacific in
terests. Were there no other reasons,
that one alone would compel our ap-
probation of the inspiring struggle
for self-preservation which China is
waging.