Evening star., 1945-08-28
The Sino-Russiun Treaty

The new S1nO-RuSSlan treaty OF
friendship and alliance, taken at
face value. may be regarded as one
of the most encouraging interna-
tional developments in recent years.
In the immediate sense. it seems
greatly to lessen the prospect Of civil
war in China. In the long-term
sense, it holds out the bright promise
that through the good will and good
faith of all parties concerned genu-
inc stability will be achieved in Asia,
an objective upon which the worlds
hope for decent and enduring
peace largely depends.
There Is no certainty, of course,
that open warfare will not break out
between the armies of the Chung
king government and the forces
Of the Chinese Communist regime at
Yenan. Under the treaty, however,
Russia not only recognizes Chung
king as the sole legitimate authority
in China, but also specifically pledges
itself not to interfere in the coun-
try's internal affairs. This fact, to-
gether with the Soviet offer to rem
der to Chungking moral support
and assistance with military equip
ment and other material resources"
clearly seems to leave Yenan with
no other alternative than to do what
1t is doing now-to send representa-
tives to Generalissimo Chang to
seek a peaceful settlement of diff
ferenceS
If the treaty accomplished no
more than this, it could be hailed as
an outstanding achievement of Rus
sian and Chinese craftsmanship.
But, in its promises at least it goes
far beyond the immediate problem
OF China'S internal affairs. Under
its terms, plus the terms of several
implementing agreements, the two
countries solemnly pledge themselves
to a policy of good neighborliness
for period of thirty years. This is
significant. The pact is to run not
for five years, or ten years, or fifteen
years, but for thirty years, and it is
to have unlimited duration after
that if neither contracting party
denounces it year before its formal
expiration date in 1875.
Nor is this unusually long-lived
undertaking merely a generalized
expression of mutual friendliness.
On the contrary, it is made up of
specific commitments designed to
eliminate at once the most impor-
tant potential sources of trouble be-
tween the two countries. Thus: Cd
In addition to clear understanding
on Slkiang and Outer Mongolia,
Russia and China are agreed on
common ownership and manage
ment of the two main Manchurian
railways; (2) there will be Joint use
Of Port Arthur as a naval base.
China controlling the city's civil
administration: CD Port Dairen is
to be a free port open to all coun-
tries, with special concessions to the
Russians, and (4) Manchuria is rec
ognized as an inseparable part of
China under the sovereign authority
of the Chinese government, the
Soviet Union promising to withdraw
its troops within the next few
months.
These commitments cover a vast
amount of difficult ground, and if
they are faithfully adhered to, there
should be little future friction be-
tween China and Russia. The treaty
specifically notes that it is
to be integrated with the overall
United Nations organization - does
not resolve all the issues troubling
the huge, sprawling continent of
Asia, but it goes far in that direction
and must therefore be welcomed as
an event that augurs happily for the
peace OF the world. The statesmen
who negotiated it merit the warmest
congratulations.