The Press SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 1946. China’s Opportunity

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24902, 15 June 1946, Page 6

The Press SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 1946. China’s Opportunity

It is more than a little difficult to say whether the truce between the Chinese Communist and Nationalist forces has held. Each side accuses the other of having violated the truce; but it seems that the one disinterested account so far received—that in which Reuter’s correspondent in Shanghai said that the Nationalist command in Manchuria had called off the truce—was based on a misunderstanding. Whatever is happening in Manchuria and. south of the Great Wall, in Shantung and Hopeh, may be thought, however, to be relatively unimportant. The charges and counter-charges which have been levelled since the truce of June 6 was imposed recall those which followed the January truce. Within a few hours of the ceasefire order of January 10, the People’s Consultative Council, with its 38 representatives of the Kuomintang, the Communists, the Young China Party, the Democratic League, and other non-party bodies, met in Chungking to discuss ways and means of broadening the basis of the Central Government. But no sooner had its deliberations started than accusations began to come in from both sides in the field that the truce was actually being violated. Yec, under the shadow these irritations continued to cast, the search for agreement went oi.; and agreement was found after nearly three weeks of constantly rising and falling hopes Within three hours of the ceasefire order of June 6, the Communists were said to have broken the truce by attacking Government forces south of Harbin. Once again it may be misleading to look at events in the field rather than those hundreds of miles behind the lines. It is hearteningly significant that once again political discussions have been taken up, this time in China’s new capital, between Nationalist and Communist representatives. The Communist negotiator, General Chou En-lai, has met, first. General Marshall, whose mediation did so much in January to narrow the gap between the factions, and, then, Nanking’s Minister of Communications. There is nothing to show that an accord has come nearer. Nor is there anything to show that the opportunity for it has gone. General Chou’s meeting with Mr Yui has at least brought both sides into direct negotiation for the first time since early April, and General Chou has remained in Nanking. At' best, however, General Marshall will have no easy task, either in keeping the negotiation* alive or in reconciling the opposing views. Each side to the dispute feels that it has an unanswerable case. The Washington correspondent of .“The “ Times ” has summarised those cases. The Central Government argues that, under the ChineseSoviet Treaty, Manchuria was to be handed over to the Central Government, and that the truce agreement of January 10 stipulated that the civil war should cease and troop movements, with some exceptions, be halted. One of the exceptions was that Government troops had the right to move into Manchuria for the purpose of restoring Chinese sovereignty. “The “ agreement ”, adds “ The Times ” correspondent, “ did not give the “ Communists the fight to move “into Manchuria, and it is easy to "see why the Central Government “ authorities feel that they have a “ cast-iron case for their present “ action in Manchuria, and why “ they have refused so positively to ’■ discuss with the Communists any “ military or political matters affecting Manchuria until the pro- “ cess of taking over from the " Russians has been completed ’’. The Communist case is that the Central Government, ever since the unification agreements were reached in February, has been endeavouring to alter the constitutional principles agreed on so as to obtain an administrative system which would retain strong central authority in the hands of Marshal Chiang Kai-shek. The Communists, too, feel they have a cast-iron case; for “ The Times ” correspondent declares that “ independent “ and reliable observers in Chung- “ king state categorically that there “ is foundation for this Communist “belief, and that the Kuomintang “ leaders are endeavouring to cut “ the Communist and Democratic “League membership in the pro- “ posed new State Council to an “impotent minority”.