THE FAR EAST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 605, 7 September 1909, Page 5

THE FAR EAST.

TIIE CHINO-.TAPANESE AGREEMENT \ (By —Oooyrleht.l '. y l . (U-ec. Septembor 6, 9.15 p.m.) ./' / i: ; 1 ' Polling, September 0. , ■ Tho .agroem9nt';betwc<jU Ghana and Jaipto .regarding' Mnrichiiria::has 1 lieeusigned -in' ■■;, •>/ 'Peking.'-v -/S': l ;^:./^'/'://.' ' aV:l!> oau-ilU.v' /.iKiiif],':' v ' '-'~j.'■/' ,' ./ , DANGERO,US t POl NTS , ETJLED. - I - Some .littlo„tinio' aco/it : was.'stated(,on';itlio - ' .authority,;, ol , Ueuters Agenc-y,--tbat : all . out; - - /Standing questions 1 , between China'and. Japan v -*sonle of which havo.threatened :tlie peace' of./. :■"■«'•. I the -. Par i lbeen jhmicably • /settled!'/ /-' I Subsequent advices ' announced ■ tlio ■ . -;> l.'ing settlements! v(l)'. China's . withdrawal/of!,/i, /.'- I 'her/... objection *>j to-. the.,, reconstruction . by ■ .Japan . of ' the -. Ahtung-Mukdcn -railway'} --.' '/:, (2). Japan's tct'roce'ssion . W 'China' of (he dis- ; 1 ■ puled territory on ;the :: frontiei'/that,- : :/'/? ;was'claimed by_ Japan as,proxy. for Koreas (3) . , by,/ China/not/, to -/construot. tlio ; Hsiii?min-tuii ; tov-. Fa-ku-men- railway ,-,./» | without, consulting: Japan. Alhof the* events,/' -i; ■' make 'strongly' for the poaeo.of the For East. ■ ' : ■ .. -.The; l ? a'-ku-Uia,L - ra|lway.. dispute - was as fol- ; lows: .-The 1 South' Manchurian railway;,- which ; ; - ;iS:-,by..' ffeaty/under':. J'apandso' control,'" ruua 'V v from*Port/Arthuf to'/Mukdjin and Harbin. On.•'/. / 'the other 'Or western side' of tho river ,Xiab ! is l /.- ' ithe Chinoso railway from Peking.tb Hsin-min-. '. ;',, ;/ tun.- China: proposed to extend this -railway ini,a direction' .parallel ■■with',' the South llan<: ./ : chur.ian :iine,. from its prespnt .terminus,,:Hsin- |vv•/' min-'tun,. northward to Fa-ku-incil,, a-, town of i / 1 ;•' some '40,000. inhabitants; and • the; centre - of-an | enormous .agricultural district.; Japan 'vetoed ~■/'<; V,/. 'this 1 extension'- under a; secret - treaty made with '. tic .China - in: 1905, • which '.treaty, Japau' ..claim's,/:/ V : i i: gives Japan the/right'-to 'prohibit,'tho building'*' ■by China of any branch railway 'which, ill : the lopinion of the/ Japanese, might compete: pre-/ : .' :' ,, :;- : .:;'' judicially 1 with'.the.: Soujh'.llnnehurian /rail- v': ■;, way./ 'i'he .'Japanese'.alUge , that, the Chiriew'iV.. V,',:. proposed ' railway, .would .not'.'.'only . tap 'i. / men;, but-would eventiially bo ..extended' to 'tlio // great iMaucliurian:- centre, Tsitsihar.: j./' i: / 'news'.indicates .that, oil this' point,, China has / .' for the prc&jnt/'given/'wiiy to ~ Japan.: Wliero/,'.■ ' <>•'.; Japan has given .way to China is on the Kor-v-: '7ti/ can frontier. .. '-/• '/I'/', : Historicity,'the; trouble' as to ,the Chien.-tao : . j .'. ;fe'rritoi'3 ; i is centuries/.old. " After -.it: : had ' be-/ como a' of'. .drawn -.battle, between /China ;./ and' Korea',-Japan, entered infoVocciipatio'n. of :: ■ the...latter:, kingdom,' bind -with ';characteristic'■: r : ;' energy/quickened up the lioary, dispute.' China •' ... alleges: that JJpaii (as proxy,;for; Korea) sur- y; ; .; reptitibusiy extended her active occupation .inteVr.' - ■ Vterritory en the. Chinese side , of', the . boiiler. . where Korean: ailtlioi;ity i .had no lawfol siand- . ■ing./'lt seems' that, for '.a ,long time China, : ,/;'V/ - ana' Korea, had rceoguiscd Chien-tao as a neu-.'v. /' : ; ; ;tral (belt not ■ allowed: to be-, settled by cither ; /■: :;' race.;. The resognitiaii'of-neutrality existed at :>/r.,/ least as late-as 170!)--' X.d„ ivhen the Chiliepo -/./V; Hjnp?r6r'.,Kangshi sent . a.'Jesuit, 1 1'erc 'Regit, '■ > ■■■ •from.Peking;to surrey.the Chinem and Korean v ■<■ , frontieij',. and the: padro has left-.v record . of' .the'neutrality .'of Chien-tao, iu-,a map which is:>, , : still • extant. 'But, there wero! sul.'scquent; de-. limitation®.' of' the/boundary, and (ho"terms ■/.''' used were so-nmbijuotis to to ci'eato.cqlifusioit./ ;' /■!/ 1n'4874 v a famine iii/iiorth-wes'lern Korea, drbvo' tiianj-" Koreans,- iiitoi .the - Ch:en<*ao territory, - ; ,'and; it v;as not :fiir'lSß2./that',China'protested , ? v.against .this .Korean icScupalioii. Subsequent .' , ,:/ negotiations ... for ' delimitation /' failed, and, ! , '/:;: Korean ■ inhabitants of. Chieii-tao, began, it ia . ./ / alleged/ to suffer opjiVessioii'at tho hands of' /ii tlieir Chinese fellow-resldente. ' / ' /:■ .;/ '/ Taking' advantage of,, softie', siieli coinnlstjrits—. v. whether '' well founded ' or'• .uet-rtho', Japahes»' Kesident-fjcneral, ,in' 1906, sent troops 1 into' the'. •/ disputed 1 tcrl-itorj'. ■•Iri''respoftse;"tossAibs'equent;' ! ; Chinese'.-.protests,'.-Japan''''informed' China that the primary object of.the 6tep.was' to'-protcet/i ' Korean life and: property, not to assert a'ter- - ritorial title. The'reported retrocession of the' :-r ;/- territory should-terminate onc'of the most irrt-*/'-; tating of tho differences between the' two ' Oriental Powers."