THE Wairarapa Age. MORNING DAILY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1908. CHINA'S NEW ADVISER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9159, 5 August 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age. MORNING DAILY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1908. CHINA'S NEW ADVISER.

The appointment of Sir Walter Hillier as foreign adviser to the Chinese Government is the finest tribute to British prestige in the Far East for many years. Sir Walter is a strong man, holding strong views. Although 59, he is younger looking and moi-e alert than many twenty years his junior. He learned diplomacy with England's greatest Far Eastern Minister. Sir Harry Parkes, and he has something of the spirit uf his old chief. He owes his appointment to two things—the growing financial relations between China and Great Britain, and the increasing tension between Pekin and Tokio. The Chinese Government has various schemes for industrial expansion on foot particularly railways for which foreign capital is necessary. This capital will be mainly raised in England. Sir Walter's brother ia one of the heads of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, the great corporation that has played so large a part in Chinese international movements. The second cause for his appointment ia still more important. During the

past three years the central Chinese Government has become increasingly suspicious of Japanese intantions. Great resentment has been caused by recent Japanese action in Manchuria. The aggressive methods and threatening language used by Tokio over the Tatsu Maru incident caused deep offence, in China. It is significant that almost before that incident | was ended Sir Walter wrote to his I various associates in England resign- i ing his offices there and announcing that he W3u!d be abroad for some months. The Chinese Government i has had an American commercial adviser, Mr George Marvin. It was recently stated in Tokio that Mr Marvin had been forced to resign his ' office as the result o. f pressure i brought to bear by Japan on the Chinese Government. Sir Walter Hillier's post will, however, more closely resemble that of Mr Denison, in Tokio, who has been for twentyeight year-! behind the Foreign Office there advising on all foreign relations while openly responsible for nothing. Sir-Walter Hillier has worked actively for increasing friendly relations between England and China. He is one of those who believe that the future of the Far East lies with the Chinese rather than with other nations. His appointment is another of the many • proofs that our present Minister in ' Pekin, Sir John Jordan, has succeeded in re-establishing the old supremo influence of Great Britain there.