Evening star., 1942-02-20
Chinese Offensive

Chinese Offensive
Perhaps the most hopeful aspect
of the critical situation in south
eastern Asia is the increasing Chi
nese activity. The Chinese drive
from Upper Burma toward North
ern Thailand, officially announced
from Chungking, is merely one phase
of a campaign which is being con-
Quoted on the economic and diplo-
matte as well as the military front.
In the long run, Chang Kai-sheks
visit to India and his conferences
with nationalist leaders there may
be much more important than the
fighting in Burma. The reported
understanding between the spokes-
men of two vast human groups col
lectively aggregating one-third Of
the entire human species certainly
is a factor of tremendous import,
and should notably better Indian
morale in the face of possible Japa-
nese attacks.
However, for the moment, Burma
is the danger-spot, and here the
British Imperial forces seem unable
to stem the japanese drive along
the coastal belt. This drive has over
ridden the frail barrier of the Bilin
River, and now has reached to within
fifty miles of the vital railway from
the port city of Rangoon northward
to Mandalay and beyond to the be-
ginning Of the Burma road. A range
of hills and an inconsequential river
alone stand as natural obstacles be-
tween the japanese and that OBJ
jective.
The invaders have been preparing
a second thrust into Upper Burma,
some 800 miles northward from the
coast. This invasion is based on the
Thai city Of Chieng-mai, the termi-
nus Of railway running 900 miles
from Bangkok, the Thai capital and
metropolis on the seacoast. This
rail line has enabled the Japanese
to assemble large ground forces and
heavy equipment at Chieng-mai and
roads have been built through the
jungle-clad terrain to the Burmese
border
1t is against this vital japanese
inland center that the Chinese Of
fensive has been launched. The ad-
vance appears to have started from
the tongue Of Burmese territory
which projects eastward between
northern Thailand and the southern
border of China's Yunnan Province
until itStouches French Indo-China
along the upper reaches of the great
Mekong River. Into this wild region,
thinly inhabited by Shan tribes, large
forces of Chinese regulars have been
assembling for some time, as they
have in other parts OF Upper Burma
to guard the entrance to the Burma
road. The present Chinese onset
from the Shan salient seems to have
routed Thai troops gathered along
their frontier. Chieng-mai, the stra-
tegic objective, lies about 100 miles
to the south. At the same time, the
airfleldS, railhead, and other mill
tary objectives at Chieng-mai were
given a bombing by large groups
of British and American volunteer
airplanes.
1t is too soon to judge whether
these operations form the beginning
Of a large-scale Chinese offensive
which conceivably might extend to
the long frontier between Yunnan
and French Indo-China as we'll. The
japanese may have been forestalling.
anticipated trouble there when they
recently landed 10000 well-equipped
troops at Haiphong, the northern
port of Indo-China and not far from
the Chinese border.
Another interesting development Is
the speeding up Of work on what is
known as the Assam road, leading
from a railhead in Northeastern
India to Chungking by a route near
ly 300 miles north of the Burma
road. Terrific engineering diff
culties beset the building Of this
new route, which is far from COM
pletion. High mountain ranges and
deep river gorges must be nego-
t!ated. Yet coolie labor in vast
numbers performed seeming mir
acles on the Burma road; so Free
China ultimately may have an
other lifeline to the outer world
provided India itself can be kept free
Of japanese invasion.