CHINA AND THE PEACE TREATY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 272, 13 August 1919, Page 7

CHINA AND THE PEACE TREATY

INTERVIEW WITH THE CHINESE .. DELEGATE

A PERSONAL VIEW

(By St. Nib.nl Singh, in the London "Observer.")

fully tho Chinese peace t un A" .said His Excellency Oheugting I.Wang, ono of the Chineso peace delegate, to me, "one,must realise the entirely paoifio character of tho Chinese civilisation." He went on to say that ."centuries •■ before the Christian conception, of uuiversal brotlierhood was formed Chinese sages and philosophers had discovered that 'all within the four seas airo brothers.'" He readily admitted that the world, as understood by the Chinese of those days, did not extend beyond the Par East. But he contended that it mattered little, for tho Chinese sajes did ndt exclude anyone from brotherhood on considerations of colour, race, religion, or geography. "To a people with such a past and ideals," the Chinese peace delegate, declared, "only one kind of peace can appeal—a peace of justice—a peace that will enablo .all nations, whether Eastern or Western, to forget the nightmare from which the . world' has. been suffering—a. peaco that will enable "us all, to whatever race or .religion wo may belong, freely'to interchange our moral and material treasures,, and to help in tho .orderly march forward of thf_ human race." .-,.'.. Mr. Wang. Tor a man in the prime'of life, and full of energy, His Excellency talks' with great gravity; but within a few years lie packed experiences of the most remarkable and-varied kind that few men twico or thrice his age are privileged to ■possess. I first met him in.Shanghai, fourteen or fifteen years ago. wben I was engaged in ;',-\irnalism in tlio Far East, where he-was trying to learn all that he could of Western institutions from friendly. Americans and Europeans. Shortly afterwards- /.vo both travelled on the same steamed- to Japan, whero he had undertaken work among the Chinese students, who at the timo numbered something like 18,01)0 men a.nd women,' all eager 'to learn from Nippon the arts of peace and war which had just then en- - ablcd ,her to defivat Russia, and'to become recognised as one of the great lowers of the world; After leaving Tokio I lost sight of him until I met liiin recently in London.

During tko intervening years Mr. Wang had gone to the United Slates, taken his •M.A. from the Yale University, and returned to .China just before the revolution began. Believing that so long as the Manehus, aliens in China,- were in power the Chinese would'have no chance to progress, ho threw himself heart and soul into the.nipvement to oust them. He was at Wuchang when lighting was x going on. there, but apparently bore a charmed life, and came out of the civil war without a scratch. After the disappearance of the Manehus his intimate . knowledge, of Eastern and Western institutions and his great energy enabled him to force his way to the forefront of public life in his country; end he was elected Vice-President' of the Chinese Senate, and later appointed .Minister of Agriculture ; and .Commerce When Yuan Shih Kai usurped power Mr. Wang remained true to the ideals of republican, ism, and stuck to ••'the- south. -. His inclusion among the Chinese Peace delegates is, for that reason, significant. The Story of Kiao-Chao. ' 'I asked my friend to explain' to mo what was happening at Paris in regard to Tsingtao. He replied: '; "To grasp that issue 'thoroughly it is .necessary to turn the'pages of liistorv back to ISOv.; when two German missiou. iiries were murdered ■in the , interior of . the Chinese-' province of Shantung.'' Even though the' murderers were captured; and executed, .certain officials were punisjipii lor lax conduct, indemnity .was paid,' and two expiatory churches were erected, yet .Germany .ref used /to drop the. matter, and demanded.thai- Iviap-Cnao Deceased to her .for a.period ot minery-nine years, isince that; demand-was enforced-by. a German squadron under the command ol the Prince Henry of Prussia, the exKaiser's brother, China -had to submit. That was quickly followed'by the Russian demand for the lease of Port Arthur and Dalny, AVei-Hai-Wei s by Great Britain, and -Kwang-Clau-Wan by ■ the ■'French.

"Alniost immediately after the war' began," the Chinese Peace delegate continued, "the Chinese began to negotiate ■with' Germany for taking over the unexpired lease of Kiao-Chao. These negotiations were interrupted by the- ultimatum served by, Japan upon Germany. China offered to join forces with the Allies to co-operate in the reduction of that German outpost, but her offer was objected to by a certain Power. Early in 1915 China renewed her offer to go into the war, but for'some unspecified, reason one of the Allied nations was against her doing so, and a friendly diplomatist in China advised our Government not to press her demands.- ' • Why China' Was Neutral. "You will see, therefore/' pointed out His Excellency, "that it was not China's fault that until last year she remained neutral, and that her contribution to the war was made in tho shape of thousands' of Chinese sailors who helped to keep afloat Allied merchantmen engaged in bringing food to Britain and other lands, .and thousands of Chinese labourers who worked-behind the lines and in •munition factories in France, Mesopotamia, and elsewhere; and in sending largo quantities. of provisions and rawmaterials for use in war and other industries.. The entry of the United States of America into the war; and her appeal to tho neutrals to join the Powers associated together .to crush the menaeo of militarism, ami to make tho.world safe for democracy, paved tho way for China to come into the war.

"You may . recall," emphasised the Chincso ■ statesman, "that no ■ delay occurred on tho part of China. Further, that she made it absolutely clear that she had gone into the fight from no sordid or ulterior motive.' Her sole aim was to help to'crush tho peril to civilisation, and to insure national rights and self-determination.

Chinas entry into the war profoundly affected the Far Eastern situation, especially the situation in regard to Tsingtno and Kiac-Chao. From that time onward that territory did not remain a, territory which had been acquired by an enemy from a. nation who was neutral. With China fighting on tlio side of tho Allies it became a territory that rightfully .belonged to an ally, and that, if the .Allied formulae of national rights and self-determination had any meaning whatever, must bo handed back to China. But the Chinese delegates.at Paris find that the falo of a territory which belongs to China is being settled on the basis of conquest. While the Allies have refused to mnko the territories in Africa which actually belonged .to Germany tho subject of barter with formally, it is proposed that the fate of, Kiao-Chao, which was merely leased to the Germans, shall'be a matter to be settled by the conquerors with tho vanquished. China is to bo treated in this matter as if 'she were not an Ally at.all." , \The Claims of Japan. I reminded His Excellency that tho Japanese had definitely promised to transfer to the Chinese.the rights and privileges, in the leafed territory'in KiaoOlino that Germany waa to transfer to them.