FRENCH AND BRITISH RIVALRY IN CANTON.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 27 July 1901, Page 4

FRENCH AND BRITISH RIVALRY IN CANTON.

The special correspondent of ‘The Times ’ who has been visiting various parts of the Chinese Empire, in the course of an exceptionally interesting cl e patch from Canton dated May 3, says :

The political activity displayed hy the French in this region lias doubtless helped to bring home to the Chinese authorities the dangers with which the reckless policy of the old regime has been fraught. Under the energetic impulse of M. Hardouin, the French Consul, who has learnt all the approved methods of French political propagandism in Siam, the French are unquestionably making strenuous efforts to assert special claims to influence in and around Canton. The commercial interests of France in Canton, which mainly consist of a small share, barely 15 per cent, of the silk trade with Lyons, cannot possibly explain tin’s sudden outburst of activity. Still loss can timy explain the need which Prance lias suddenly discovered for laying an independent cable from Saigon to Amoy, when it can directly connect with the Russian system over the northern telegraph wires. Despite the most liberal treatment which the Eastern Telegraph Company has accorded to French possessions, this scheme has long been advocated by the French colonial party, but it was, o: course, pooh-poohed in British circles, with our customary optism, until about three weeks ago news cams from Amoy that a French ship had entered and landed u cable there. It was a smart piece of work carried cut in a business-like fashion with the utmost secrecy, rendering telegraphic communication between prance and her Far Eastern possessions independent of cables under British control. There is some reason to beiievo that a project, whereof we arc already witnessing the preliminary steps, is being mam red for including within the sphere of French expansion the whole province of Kwang-tung, with Canton itself. French protectionism has killed the important trade which Singapore formerly on with the French

possessions, but bingapote has ample arcsources in its own hinterland. Hong Kong on the contrary, is wholly dependent upon the maintenance of the open door on the mainland. French activity in Canton, therefore, deserves at least to be carefully watched.