INDO-CHINA'S RESOURCES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 137, 4 August 1941, Page 3

INDO-CHINA'S RESOURCES

JAPAN'S MEDIATION CAUSES RESENTMENT FRANCE'S RICHEST COLONY French Indo-China lias been Avell in the picture in the last few days. Six months ago Indo-China Avas a hectic spot in the iicavs. Thailand, the relic of a Thai Indonesian Empire, out of which France has carved her richest colony of Indo-China, had taken acVvantagc of the weakness of France after the collapse of June, 1910, to demand a restitution of territory. Japan supported Thailand, and the frontiers Avere rectified after a feAA r brushes between armed forces. Japan also took adA r antage of the situation in March to land troops at the main northern port, Haiphong, of Indo-China, and to acquire a base for use against Chungking China, incidentally cutting off the only railway communication Avith the

Yunnan Province of China a h n d threatening the Burma Road, the onii remaining access to Chungking, apart from the Russian overland route. The French authorities were bitterly aggrieved of the action of the Japanese in encouraging Thailand, as they said, to "rob IndoChina," and resented the peace im-> posed after the cession of territory to Thailand. It Avas then feared that the Japanese Avoukl attempt to pass an ariny across Bndo-Gliina to Thailand and from the southern border of that country threaten Malaya and Singapore. In consequence and Avith a vieA\ r to any emergency the frontier of Malaya Avas strongly reinforced by Britain. Tension subsided during, Mr Matsuoka's visit to Europe, but j the pro'speot of a Japanese move south has never disappeared. Indo-China is France's richest colony, Avith resource still far from fully exploited. The area, before the territorial adjustments AA'ith Thailand, Avas -square milesmore than tAA T o and a half times the size of New Zealand —and the popu-<

lation nearly twenty millions, including 25,000 Europeans. The staple 1 crop is rice, and much was exported jp normal times. Large areas arc also planted in rubber. In the north there are valuable anthracite coal mines, producing over a million tons a year. Many manufacturing industries, including cement, pottery, cotton, silk and lace, flourish, and the total exports reach sonic two thousand million francs. These resources of Indo-China would supply most of Japan's needs of tropical product and fnrnisli a great market for her trade. Strategic Importance. Strategically, French Indo-China is immensely important as it flanks, with its long coast, the South China Sea and the Gulf of Siam, controlling the sea routes to the Far East via Singapore and commanding the approaches from the Avest to the Philippine Islands and Borneo. Saigon, the capital of Indo-China, is a modern city of 125,000 inliabi-1 tants, Avi-th an excellent harbour, j )ther ports are Hue and Haiphong,

while .C'am-ranh is the French Far East naval base, with a fine natural harbour, close to the Singapore-Hong King shipping route. Communiications in Indo-China are by the Mekong River and railways connecting the northern capital, Haoi, with Saigon. The Mekong carried heavy traffic, including much timber, mainly teak. To the Japanese Indo-China offers additional advantages as possessing a long northern frontier contiguous with southern China and on the west touching for a shorter distance, Burma. The rest of the land frontier of Indo-China borders Thailand.