FAR-EASTERN COMPLICATIONS.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 189, 27 August 1937, Page 4

FAR-EASTERN COMPLICATIONS.

Complications in connection with the hostilities between China and Japan are multiplying rapidly, Yesterday we had news that Japan had intimated her intention to establish a naval blockade along practically the whole of China' s eastern coast-line. To-day word reaches us that the British Ambassador to China, proceeding from Nanking tp Shanghai by motor-car flying a British flag has been fired upon and seriously, if not mortal'ly, wounded by a low-flying Jhpanese aerial bomber as to whose nationality there would seem to be no possible room for doubt. Up to the time of writing no attempt at explanation of this latter," probably tragic, "incident" has been received, but it is one that cannot but be regarded very seriously, especially coming as it does on top of the Japanese bombardment affecting the Internatoinal Settlement at Shanghai and involving the lives and property of thousands of British subjects, along, of course, with those of other nations. Whether it is eapable of an explanation that wili prove satisfaetory to the British Government remains yet to be' seen, but in the meantime it can be noted that it is something of very much graver import than the really insignificant incident that provided Japan with a pretext for her attack on Shanghai. It may be left for the moment until we get some further word as to the diplomatic protests that will be entered and as to Japan' s reply to them. With respect to the blockade proposal our information is not as yet very precise, is, indeed, to some extent contradictory. However, this is a matter that will apparently touch not only Great Britain but also all other countries having trading relations with China apd may therefore result in some joint action being taken. It can scarcely be regarded as being other than a contravention of the NinePower "open-door" Treaty of 1922 to which the United States,' Belgium, the British Empire, China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and Portugal were parties and which guaranteed "equal opportunity for Ihe commerce and industry of all nations throughout the territory of China." Apart from this, it Has to be remembered that there has as yet been no formal declaration of a "state of war" such as would under any circumstances be necessary to justify tHe setting up of a blockade. So far, rather surprisingly, this Treaty has not been in any way oflicially invoked during the present trouble, not even to the extent of calling for the international discussion of the situation for which it provides. There can be no doubt that Japan has been allowed, . without outside molestation, to carry her policy of aggression and acquisition against China to such an extent that she is noWj riding a veiy high horse indeed. Having been allowed so far to ride rough-shod in any direction she pleases without check other than such as a militarily weak nation like China can offer, she has very naturally come to the conciusion that she can carry on without fear of any forcible intervention on the part of other interested countries. The question is as to how far she will be allowed to go without some concerted action being taken to stay her hand. It is quite easy to see that, unless something of the kind is undertaken very shortly, she will have got herself so firmly entrenched that her dislodgement would.be a^matter of very great difficulty. Touching on this aspect of the threatening situation even a month or so ago, before it had become any thing like as tense as it is now, the "Birmingham Post" said "We believ© that Japanese pretensionSj economic and coinmercial, puslied too far, will give Great Britain and the TJnitod States what they have never had before — a common policy in the Far East based on positive, not on negative, co-opera-tion. If Japan is permitted to go too far without protest then this positive co-operation will be bound to show itself thronugh - Admiralties and War Offices and not through Foreign Offices. It is still possible for Great Britain and the United States acting together to prevent Japan taking the last fatal step." Whether there may be anything prophetic in this is not to be said here, but it can be readily understood that a strong combined Anglo-American naval demonstration would probably give Japan occasion for seconci thoughts. With Signor Mussolini to watch in the Mediterranean, this is something that % Great Britain cannot just now safely undertake alone, as she doubtless would have done not so many years ago. Mention of the Italian dictator's name suggests some query as to the significance of an Italian cruiser having been, as mentioned to-day, despatched to* Shanghai. It may be, probably is, $ merely to assist in the protection of Italian nationals there. At tHe same time, however, it may be recalied that the German-Japanese Pact was followed by a distinctly friendly rapprochement between Italy and Japan.