IN THE FAR EAST

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 September 1939, Page 4

IN THE FAR EAST

STATE OF SOVIET JAPANESE RELATIONS FAR FROM SATISFACTORY. SOME DENIALS IN TOKIO AND MOSCOW. By Telegraph—P--cs Association—Copyright. LONDON, September 18. The Moscow radio stated that the relations between the Soviet and Japan are far from being satisfactorily settled, as Japan had insisted she was settling alone the China incident, in which the Soviet was vitally interested. Russia would continue to support China’s struggle for the preservation of her independence. ■ A message from Tokio states that the Japanese deny that a non-aggression pact with Russia is contemplated, that Germany arranged the Mongolian frontier armistice and that Germany can change Japan’s Russian policy. The armistice is being represented as part of Japan’s plea for peace in China. The Russian invasion of Poland shows that Russia has serious reasons for desiring peace on her eastern frontiers and is prepared to throw General Chiang Kai-Shek overboard. The New York Times” Chungking correspondent says that General Chiang Kai Shek, in his first public speech on foreign affairs since the outbreak of the European war, said, “Despite the European war China must carry out a fixed policy of armed resistance to the Japanese aggression. The European war will make us fight more vigorously since we are confident of the ultimate victory and China’s rightful place in shaping a new world order.” He added that China’s present military strength compared with the outbreak of the Chinese-Japanese war was more than doubled. The Moscow correspondent of the “New York Times” states that the Craigie Agreement reached in Tokio in July “by which Britain recognised the actual situation in China.” was valuable in the latest Japanese-Soviet negotiations. The readiness of Russia to agree was due to her anxiety to have a free hand on her western front. The armistice, says the correspondent, has not surprised the British, who feared a neutrality pact, but it is certainly not welcome as it enables Japan to stiffen her terms if Britain wishes to prevent further German success through the completion of a neutrality pact.