THE CHINESE CRISIS.

North Otago Times, Volume CVII, Issue 17169, 28 March 1927, Page 4

THE CHINESE CRISIS.

It ds cause for thankfulness ihat, beset by this turmoil of these recent days, the international settlement and the Franch concession in Shanghai have not suffered disasters wrose than those reported1. Their plights has been bad enough. What it would have been bad naval and military precautions not been taken is horrible to contemplate. "With the native portion of' the city in ilames and frenzied Chinese factions rioting and looting there withnut restraint, with frantic anti-Red bordes fiercely endeavouring. to force their way into the foreign quarters, and with Chinese gunfire bringing incessant peril, the lot of ihe foreign nationals has been unenviably hazardous. By some of fliem personal violence has been suffered; in spite of apparently reso- ; hate efforts by the Cantonese • authorities to afFord! them protec- 1 tion. In the inevitable clash with ; the violent and marauding factions i i some British lives have been lost. j All that has been said about the J : menace to the persons ai)d property ; ' of foreign nationals has had regret- i ably abundarit confirmation in the j event. To the prcmptitude with • wlhich steps were taken to de- \ spatch British regwlars to Hong- i kong and Shanghai. and to the co- j i operation of other Powers in send- : ing naval supports, must be attribut- 1 ed the measure of security that has • been enjoyed. The margin of safety j has been previously slender. Had j the aJrrogant protestations of the j Cantonese and Peking authorities j been taken at their face value, as; they sought to malce anti-foreigj|n | capital out of these purely precau- 1 tionary measures, and had the j partisan critics of the British Gov- : ernment in the House of Conimons ; been given their way, an interna- ( tional tragedy of a ghastly sort ; would have happened. The crisis has had tragifc features, and it is j not over; but the worst has been i averted . and may yet be. In the j midst of this seething turmoil it 's | impossible for the Powers to take j up the international issues that are j at stake, and Downing Street's at- j titude of awaiting a calmer situa- [ tion is the only reasonable one. Out j of the climax should come new pos- j sihilities of negotiation concerning j ihe treaty right that have been the ] bone of contention. It the Canton- j ese should shortly emerge from the struggle so strongly entrenched, if not actually triumphant, that they can dictate terms to the Nortfrern j faction and the Peking Government. there will be disentangled from f.hina's national striving the confusing element of domestic misrule. The Cantonese claim to the "Nationulist" label is disputed by every j rival element in the country, not least by the nominally central Government. Each of the contestants j for power has been urged by the j rising tide of national aspirations. j Each has been moved by antiforeign animus. Yet, in their mutua] rivalries, they have hindered1 reasonable and effective expression of those aspirations and accentuated that animus. A settlement of their long-drawn struggle for internal sunremacy should clear the way for cairn consideration of the purpose they deolane themselves equally pledged to espouse. They have had the reiterated assurance of the Powers concerned that foreign aid ■will he readily given to China's j efforts to acquire national independence. Britain, in particular, has madfe generous offers to forego concessions and to revise treaties. The trouble has been that China, iorn by disunion, could find no spoxesman authorised and able .to negotiate for a new order. If the troublous events of these days should give China such a spokesman, the new order will he hastcned.