WAR CLOUDS IN THE FAR EAST.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 181, 18 August 1937, Page 4

WAR CLOUDS IN THE FAR EAST.

Military and naval operations at Shanghai have a,ttained such proportions that there cannot but be the gravest apprehensions as to how far they may develop. The fact that the iives and property of a large number of foreign nationals, particularly British and American, are involved seems "to count for little with either side, and the protests entered by their Governments have met with but scant respect. Whatever may be said of particular "incidents4' that have led up to these active hostilities on so big a scale, there can be little doubt as to the quarrel being of Japan's seeking. So far as Shanghai was concerned, at any rate, thertf was nothing that was not capable of diplomatic discussion and adjustment had not Japan bee n anxious to seek cause for launching an attack. This view, toq-, is conhrmed by her manifest preparedness for undertaking it at short notice. • All that seems to have been awaited was a pretext and that the alleged murder of a single Japanese offtcer provided. Main anxiety must of course, be felt as to the possibility of other countries being drawn into the fray, Great Britain and the United Staes being those whose interests and prestige are most closely touched. Overnight London messages, however, suggest that little fear is felt there ihat Great Britain will allow herself to become embroiled and it is pretty certain that every effort will be made to keep out of any active participation on her part. America, too, is evidently equally anxious not to become further implicated, and the President has so far refused to exercise the power conferred upon him by the American Neutrality Act to recognise and declare a state of war to have been created. In refraining from this, however, it may well be that he is actuated by a desire to assist China as far as possible without actual intervention. By declaring a state of war to exist the door would at once be closed to China so far as concerned obtaining war machines and i munitions from the United States, and of these she is doubtless in very great need, if she is to have any chance of successfully combating Japan's amply equipped land, sea and air forces. It is, in fact, the disparity in this respect that makes the Chinese position so difiicult and encourages the Japanese to persist in riding the high horse in all her relations with her big Asiatic neighbour. It may be assumed too, that Japan deems it politic to precipitate a crisis while this very decided advantage remairis on her side. Were it not for this, China's great superiority in fighting numbers now fairly well unified, trained and organised, might have been hoped . to tell a tale, especially as hostilities are now in progress in three pretty widely separated areas. The probabilities are that the Chinese leader, Chiang Kai-shek, would greatly prefer to postpone any really finite trial of strength with Japan until he was militarily better equipped for it and so would be inclined for the moment to yield temporarily yet further to Japan's irriperious demands. There are, however, angry and indignant elements behind him impatient of any further delay and threatening his own dominant position in the country unless he yields to their call for immediate action to check Japan's territorial aggressions. It thus seems very doubtful whether he cari resist the internal pressure thus bearing upon him, or that anything other than outside intervention, as yet seemingly altogether unlikely, will serve to prevent hostilities assuming still more ugly shape. The next few days should give some more definite indication as to whether such fears are likely to. be realised,