The Dominion. TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 1915. GERMAN INTRIGUE IN CHINA

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2398, 2 March 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 1915. GERMAN INTRIGUE IN CHINA

The internal affairs of China have been in ,a very uncertain state for some time past, and the great war has given a. new turn to her relationships with Japan. •It was recently announced that the Japanese Government had demanded that China should not enter into territorial arrangements with any_ foreign Power without first consulting Japan, and had also made certain requests regarding the control of railways, mining 'rights, and other matters. The precise nature of these demands has not yet been made public. The first announcement appears to have beenuundulyy y alarmist. It caused h certain amount of international uneasiness, but this has been to some extent .allayed by the official explanation that Japan is only asking for-an adjustment of old questions, and that she is not seeking to change China's'political status. It is stated tliat Japan's action is the outcome of China's attitude at the beginning of the war. German influence has been very strong at Peking for some time past, and'pressure was brought to bear on the Chinese' Government with' the object' of hampering ' the Japatfese in their naval an'd military operations at Tsing-tao. Japannow wants to place her relations with China on a more definite basis, but Chinese statesmen have been adepts at devious diplomacy, their general tendency being-to avoid anything in the nature of precise and clear-cut understandings.- There is a Turkish touch in Chinese diplomacy—a spirit of duplicity and procrastination. ■ Tho Chinese have no love for the Germans. No foreign Power has treated China with, such, callous and undisguised brutality as Germany has done. YuAN-bHiH-KAi and his Ministers are well aware of this, yet they hope somehow to gain something by playing off the Germans against the But since the fall of Tsing-tao China i has found it very difficult to continue this game, and Japan has endeavoured to compel her to _ define her position by the presentation'of peremptory demands. The, latest .information indicates that a conference has been held, and that some of the claims of Japan have been conceded, the hope being expressed that a definite reply to the others will not be insisted upon until the' war is over.

One of the most interesting questions dealt with by the conference! was the future of Kiao-Chau, the territory formerly held by>Germany, which fell into the hands of the Japanese when Tsing-tao was captured. Japan has.rejected China's request,for the restoration of Tsingtao, and the removal of troops, military railways and telegraphs in Shantung. Speaking in the Japanese Diet recently Bakon Kato emphatically denied that Japan was committed to the restitution of Tsing-tao to China. Authorities on international law have been consulted regarding the effect of the. Japanese ultimatum to Germany, and it is stated that they have expressed the opinion that the proposal to restore Kiao-Chau to China was conditional on it being banded over by Germany without force or compensation. As this condition was not accepted, the proposal ceased to be binding on Japan. .If'KiaoChau was handed back to China ehe might give it to_ Germany again, and Japan's sacrifices of men and money would have been futile. The ultimate fate of _ Kiao-Chau is a mystery which time' alone can reveal. It may, however, be taken for granted- that Japan will not relinquish her hold on this piece of China without a quid pro quo. It must be remembered that Japan is still at war with Germany, and tho possibility of Japanese forces taking part in the struggle in Europe has been the subject of a good deal of discussion in France. Whether Japan will actually intervene in this way or not she will certainly hold herself in, readiness for any emergency, that may_ arise, and the fate of Kiao-Chau is not likely to be finally decided until the war is over.

There can be no doubt that the Chinese Government is watching Japan with much uneasiness and suspicion. It is not only a demand for territory that China fears. She also feels that the Japanese intend to interfere in the government of the country. The existence of this foreboding is indicated by the fact that Japan has thought it advisable to give the assurance that she is not seeking to change China's political status. No doubt this assurance has direct connection with rumours that China is on the verge of another revolution. The Shanghai correspondent of the Daily News slates that there have been prophecies of ft third-rebellion. It is said that unhang "got it" in 1911, ShinghAl

in 1913, and now it is to be Canton's turn. Though things are outwardly calm "there arc undercurrents all tho more intriguing because their drift is so difficult to follow," Thej'O is a growing spirit of restlessness in Canton, there aro rumours of a plot to restore the Manchus, and a strong tendency to militarism is noticoablo at Peking. '• The revolutionaries are working in secret, and the country is being flooded with seditious literature. Discontent and unrest are so widespread that many competent judges' think that a serious upheaval is not far off. In _ official circles there is a strong belief that the Japanese are in some way responsible for the general' unsettlcnient, and that they would take advantage of an outbreak of rebellion in order to place on the throne a Manchu who could be relied upon to act as their puppet. The Japanese are regarded with deep suspicion, and German influence is being constantly exerted with the object of intensifying this feeling of fear and animosity. German intrigue " has forced Turkey to sign her own deathwarrant, Will it succeed in luring China into some equally disastrous adventure 1