THE PEKING TARIFF CONFERENCE
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—I represent in the Far East a large British engineering firm, and have just returned from one of my periodical visits of several months to China and Japan. The present boycott against British goods in China is becoming very serious, trade in the Treaty ports is practically at a standstill, British merchants, brokers, and representatives, especially in Shanghai and Hong Kong, are having a bad time, also it has an impor- tant bearing on unemployment in England. What would do more than anything else to ease this situ- ation almost at once is for influential opinion in England to show active sympathy with the young China movement— outside, of course, the strong minority sprinkling of Bolshevism which is fostered by the Russians—during the sittings of the Tariff Conference at Peking. The young China, or Sun Yat Sen, or Kuo Ming Tang movement, as it is called in China, is Much broader than a mere student movement ; it contains many educated and experienced Chinese who know what they are opposing and have a clear idea what they want, which naturally the masses of young students have not. Their MI-plaint is that other nations_ have rights of their own, whereas_China_ alone amongst the Powers is still compelled to suffer from the survival of interfering foreign institutions
and practices which are out of date.. . _ _ _
It is true that certain demands are being made by the Bolshevik element which it is improbable will be conceded by the Powers outside Germany and Russia for many years to come, such as the abolition of extra-territoriality, about which so much has been written. The fact is, those Chinese who have holdings in the Treaty ports would be very scared indeed should England, Japan and America suddenly decide to withdraw the safeguards which the extra-territorial system. provides. These Chinese property holders have a good idea how quickly their possessions would drop in value under Chinese adminis- tration.
. On the other hand, many foreign residents in China consider the time is ripe for certain of China's grievances to be remedied ---such as a revision of the Treaties, many of whose pro- visions are one-sided and in some respects ridiculous. By one Treaty China is compelled to permit the emigration of her coolies to British Colonies, though they are now actually excluded—and yet the obsolete Treaty remains in force. Then again in Shanghai, a city of nearly a million people, 97 per cent. of whom are Chinese, who pay 80 per cent. or more of the municipal taxes, there is no Chinese member of the Shanghai Municipal Board. Foreigners are immune from taxation in China, which is an indefensible condition in these days, considering the developments of foreign trade and other interests _in China. Further, other nations have more or less extensive tariffs, while China alone has to submit to her customs duties being fixed at the will of the Foreign Powers.
I am convinced that the only serviceable contribution England can Make towards China's permanent welfare, and incidentally England's own commercial and industrial advan- tage, is in the direction indicated abeve.—I am, Sir, &c., M.
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