A Government on Tour
The arrival in Hong Kong of General Li Tsung-Jen, who since the Generalissimo's resignation nearly a year ago has been acting President of the Chinese Republic, is merely, as far as the outside world is concerned, another nail in the coffin of a defunct regime. But it has rather more importance than this in China, for General Li has a certain reputation for integrity, and his discovery that his liver needs an overhaul by medical experts outside China may perhaps set something of a fashion among his colleagues and thus possibly accelerate the fall of the curtain on the last act of what has now become a farce. With Chungking threatened by the Com- munists, there is talk of the Nationalists moving their seat of govern-
ment to Chengtu, after which they plan a further transfer to Kunming. An itinerary which would reflect credit on a circus has a somewhat different effect on a Government which is still consti- tutionally numbered among the Big Five, and tenure of a permanent seal on the Security Council is hardly compatible with this point- to-point round the provinces of China. It is high time that this unreal and inconvenient situation was ironed out ; and it is theoretically just conceivable that Li Tsung-Jen, who has not resigned his office, may have some plan up his sleeve which could contribute to such a process. Meanwhile conditions in Shanghai continue to improve, and there are no signs of even a cold war being declared against Hong Kong. Washington has shown, very properly, anger acrid concern at the recent illegal arrest of the American consular staff in Mukdcn ; and although the Americans in question have now been released there appears to be nothing that America can do to reduce the danger of further incidents of this kind until she opens some Awn of diplomatic relations with Peking.
