Peace Talks in China
The best news from China for some time is that peace talks between the Communists and approved emissaries of the Central Government are to open shortly in Peking. Shati Li-Tze, who will lead the delegation from Nanking, is a rugged old, man with a reputation for integrity and had at an earlier stage of his career close affiliations with the Communist leaders ; he may be able to do something to modify, in form if not in substance, the harshness of the terms which the Communists are in a position to dictate. The Generalissimo, meanwhile, has withdrawn from the scene. Is is not wholly clear whether he has -routed or resigned, or indeed whether he had the constitutional -right to do whichever he has done ; but the resultant lacuna is only of academic importance. His Govern-. ment has now officially admitted its intention to remove to Canton, and the Communist armies, unopPosed, are closing in on Nanking. The pattern of future developments is not easy to foresee. One possibility is the fission of China into two armed camps, divided roughly by the Yangste. From an economic point of view this would be folly, while politically it would only mean the postponement of a further trial of strength, with the Communists as the probable, if not certain, victors. In these circumstances it is greatly to be hoped that the negotiations in Peking, which are likely to be pro- tracted, will result in a comprehensive compromise covering the whole country. A single administration, however predominant the Communists may be within it, will in the long run give China a far better chance of recovery than two antipathetic regimes between whom an early and disastrous conflict would be inevitable.
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