Foreign.

Manawatu Herald, 20 January 1898, Page 2

Foreign.

TERMS FOR LOAN TO CHINA. The Timas correspondent at Pekin states thatMajor-General Sir Claude Maxwell Macdonald, British Minister in China, has informed the Chinese Government that England is willing tp assist in the liquidation of the Japanese war indemnity, and will provide a loan of £12,000,000 at par with 50 years' currency and bearing interest at the rate of 4 per cent, annually, including sinking fund The conditions on which the money will be advanced are the opening to Great Britain of Nan-ningfu, a town in the .province of Kwanjsi, on the left bank of the Si-Kiang river, Talienwana Bay, between the Gulf of Jjistung and the Yellow Sea, and Saingtan, an important town on the teft bank of the Biang Yuny, a town

in the" province of Bupai; on the river Hang Kiang. The other conditions stipulated are that China shall not alienate to any other Power than Great Britain any portion of the valley of the Yang-ste-Kiang river, and shall give her power to extend the Burmah railway through the province of Yunan. It is further stipulated that in default with fegard to the conditions of the loan China shall place obtain revenues under the control of the Imperial Customs, The Chinese regard the proposals as advantageous, but fear opposition from France and Russia with referenca to the opening of Talienwana and Nan~ningfu,