At the Washington Conference in 1922 the nine signatory Powers
agreed to abstain from the pursuit of special rights and privileges in China. This principle has lately been breached. We refer, of course, to the special agreement of America with the Nanking Government, by which she has secured the advantages of a most-favoured- nation clause—plus the kudos of the first corner. It is good news that Great Britain and Japan are making a determined effort to re-establish the united front in the dealings of the Treaty Powers with the new China. Since Japanese representatives are still engaged in tariff conversations with Mr. T. V. Soong, the Nationalist Minister of Finance—and Baron Uchida, it may be noted, made a point of returning home via Washington— the new form of co-operation between Great Britain and Japan would seem to be designedly neither provocative towards China nor exclusive; and this, as the Times points out, will be its essential character. At the original. Peking Conference Great Britain went further than any other Power to meet Nationalist aspirations, and our -readiness to adapt policy to the new 'conditions in the Far East must sooner or later be rewarded. The more -evidence there is of international Solidarity in China, or, for that matter, in any other part of the world, the less we shall hear of those spurious " tokens of international solidarity " which are being distributed, we understand, by agents of the Rtissian Communist Party. -
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