Evening star., 1951-05-13

crease-ln British shipments to
the Chinese since the outbreak of
the Korean conflict.
Sir Hartley Shawcross, president
OF the British Board of Trade told
the House Of Commons this week
that Britain sold SO, $40 900 worth
OF goods to China the first three
months of this year, in compari-
son with sales totaling S1OO80 000
during all of 1850. Hong Kone:s
exports to China amounted to
$120.4 million in value for the first
quarter of 1851. Sir Hartley said.
whereas total sales during 1850
Weer $254.8 million.
These figures require careful
scrutiny, too.
For one thing. price increases
apparently account for much of
the rise in the value of shipments
to China. Thus Hong Kong off,
cials assert that exports from the
crown colony to China have ac-
tually declined by approximately
SO per cent by volume since De-
cember. 1850.
For one thing, the British saw
that their sales to the Chinese
consist only of non-strategic, non
critical commodities, except for
certain materials sufficient only
to cover normal, peacetime civil
ian needs.
Britain has supplied no war
materials (arms, ammunition.
etc. to the Chinese Communist
government at any time" says a
statement from an official British
source. Further, in mid-July.
1850, Britain agreed with a num-
ber OF other nations concerned to
prohibit the export of certain
strategic materials on an inter.
nationally agreed list.
NO gasoline, oil or petroleum
has been shipped to China by
Britain through Hong Kong or
otherwise since mid-July, 1850,
when a complete embargo was i'm
posed.
"A figure of 10000 tons for
Chinese imports of rubber for the
nine months ending March 81,
1851, was given in the House of
Commons on April 25. This was
an estimate Of imports of rubber
from all sources (including Indo.
nesia). :"
Should the free-world wage all.
out economic warfare against the
Chinese Communists, or shouldn't
lit?
The United States says it should.
Most of Americas friends and Al
lies think it should not. Britain
has been especially outspoken in
opposing all-out economic war.
fare against Peiping.
"A total cessation of trade with
Communist countries would come
close to all-out economic warfare {"
says the statement from an official
British source quoted above. Such
a step would assume that world
war was inevitable and imminent.
and would arouse new and critical
international tensions. Britain
still believes that present circum-
stances do not justify this action.
Moreover. it might seriously jeop-.
ardize the flow of imports fror,
Communist countries, such a..
grain. timber, food, ETC., whic A
are essential to the economc
strength of the free world"
Officials here reject this view.
Privately, they call it a policy of
appeasement, and they are urging
the British-as well as othersto
wage the same kind of all-out
economic warfare against China
that this country is waging.
Washington is at disadvantage
in urging this on London, how
ever, owing to the fact that the
United States is following a policy
in Japan which differs from the
policy which it is following here.
American policy in Tokyo closely
corresponds, in fact. to the British
policy.
American Policy Split
The United States has banned
all exports to Communist China,
but Gen. Macarthur never banned
them all from Japan, while he was
supreme commander in Tokyo.
and neither does Gen. Matthew 3.
Ridgway, MacArthur's successor.
The following table shows the
value of japanese exports to China
for each month since the outbreak
of the Korean conflict: