§ 1. Colonel DAYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any further information that could be-furnished to the House on the present position in China?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Austen Chamberlain)My latest information shows the general situation in China to have become somewhat more satisfactory since I made my last statement upon it in this House on the 18th June.
Within the last week no further serious disturbances have been reported from any of the ports, while the striks movement at Shanghai, Nanking and elsewhere shows signs of weakening. The boycott movement, on the other hand, is gradually spreading with the aid of bands of students, who travel through the country on free railway passes provided by the Chinese Ministry of Education. Peking itself is now perfectly quiet, and a monster student demonstration planned for the 18th July was a failure. British women and children are, however, being gradually evacuated from the province of 2175 Szechuan, where the position of foreigners is made more dangerous by the clash between rival military factions.
At Canton the situation remains the same. His Majesty's Consul-General there does not apprehend a further attack on Shameen, the foreign concession, but the Canton authorities, who have refused the mediation of the Central Government, of which they have re-affirmed their complete independence have renewed their previous demands for the retrocession of the concession and the withdrawal of all the foreign warships.
In the north of China Marshal Chang Tso-lin is still in Tientsin, but is expected to leave there shortly for Mukden. His rival, General Feng Yu-hsiang, who has adopted an anti-foreign and particularly anti-British attitude, has just given orders to prevent the transit of British goods from Mongolia through Paotow. His Majesty's Chargé d' Affaires has entered a strong protest against this hostile act.
I may mention that the case of the Russian agitator, Dosser, as to which inquiries have been addressed to me by various hon. Members, has now ended in a judgment of the Mixed Court at Shanghai dismissing the actual charge against him for lack of evidence, but declaring his certificate from the Soviet authorities to be genuine and ordering him to be expelled from the settlement as an undesirable. On the 13th July Dr. Fortunatoff, medical officer to the Soviet Consulate-General at Shanghai, was arrested in the act of tendering 10.000 dollars to a detective who had been asked to state that he had forged Dosser's certificate. He was brought before the Mixed Court and remanded on bail.
I am in communication with the other Governments concerned as to the settlement of the questions arising out of the collision of the 30th May between Chinese rioters and the Shanghai municipal police. The one concern of His Majesty's Government in this matter is to see that justice is done to all parties.
§ Colonel DAYWhen is the official Report of the evidence on the shootings at Shanghai expected, and will it be given publication?
§ Mr. CHAMBERLAINMay I refer the hon. and gallant Gentleman to an answer 2176 the other day, in which I begged the House to excuse me from making a passing statement on the subject?
§ Mr. TREVELYANHas the right hon. Gentleman got the full evidence yet?
§ Mr. CHAMBERLAINI think there is another question on the subject.