Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, SEPT. 29, 1900. The Chinese Question.

Manawatu Herald, 29 September 1900, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, SEPT. 29, 1900. The Chinese Question.

No one can pretend to know what the Chinese motive is or what they expect to achieve, but it has been said, by persons too who are authorities upon the question, that the uprising of the Chinese has arisen from the intrigues of Russia. By what has been going on the past month or two it seems that this supposition is correct for Russia has been working harder to secure her position in Manchuria than in punishing the Chinese for their attacks on the foreign legations. We have read of the different moves proposed by the different Powers, and how suddenly arrangements have been altered. Russia stated her intention of leaving Pekin, under the hope, so it has been stated, that the other Powers would also leave, and

when they would not she altered her min 1 ? ""' 1 n l^ f^rde'l t? s*?y The most persistent Power in this respect has been Germany, and by many it has been thought that the murder of her representative had chiefly influenced this course. There are so many reasons that any may be the correct one, but judging from the past arrangement and treaties made by the Powers with China we should look to Germany desiring to have a decided voice at Pekin as arising more from the desire to lessen Russian influence and advance, to any other cause. China has been the bad boy of the world who has had the gift of falling out with stronger Powers and has been brought to book. The seat of the last crime has been at Pekin, which a study of the map shows is situated in the north of China and whose port is Tientsin, is situated in the Gulf of Pechili, and the Province in which it is situated i"! k".DW? n.3 "echili. To the rlirs^ east is Suing- king, whose coast line is on the Gulf of Leao-tung, and on which is Port Arthur, a fortified naval port leased to Russia. South of Pechili is the province of Hhantung the bay of which is known as Kiau-cbu, though both this bay and that of Leao-tung is embraced in the Gulf of Pechili. In satisfaction for the murder of some German missionaries ' hina granted a 99 years' lease of the bay of Kian-chau, with the port of Tsintan, and a " sphere of interest of 2,740 square miles within which China cannot take any measures without Germany's assent." Great Britain has agreed to look upon territory north of the watershed of the Yang-tse-kiang as being under German influence as far as the sphere allotted to Russia, in return for her acknowledging Great Britain's sphere of influence, and thus it comes about that Germany is more largely interested in stopping the encroachments of Russia than any other Power with, perhaps, the exception of Japan. It has been a matter of wonder why Germany is sending gunboats up the Yang-tse-ki«u .:<". hnt as Great Britain has, as f-f iA we kn:>w, raised no opposition, .t p.obably can be explained. Anyhow the idea of Germany, Russia and Japan working together for the partitioning of northern China appears to be unreasonable to expect, but if they did agree, it would only be temporarily and their occupation would be a cause of great weakness to them. We believe that there is a good understanding between Great Britain and Germany, who have both publicly declared against the spoilation of the Empire, but they both have very great doubts as to the good intentions of Russia. In writing on this subject last year we pointed out how excellent was the move on the part of the English Statesmen to secure a strong European Power as a buffer state between the concessions granted to Great Britain and to those granted to Russia, and its value is apparent today. The determination to remain at Pekin is, to our mind, a declaration on the part of Great Britain and Germany, that some strong authority shall be set up in China before the country around Pekin is overrun by Russians, and that the Chinese shall be able to show force sufficient to protect herself against her northern neighbour. The news coming from China is so meagre and so unreliable that it is impossible to arrive at a proper conception of what is being done there, and for what purpose, without" understanding the many agreements, treaties, and concessions yielded by China in the past. Germany has, like England, to keep a very sharp eye on that irresponsible nation France, and she knows her risk of being attacked is as probable as that of England being attacked, should these two countries get into serious disagreement over < hina. The wants of Germany are the same as those of England, with • hina, th t of an open-door for trade, and b^th have agreed to give it, so that it is hard to imagine where a difference mn arise between them.