§ 2. Mr. LOOKERasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what instructions have been given to His Majesty's Minister at Peking with regard to the use of force to ensure that the treaty rights of Great Britain are respected or that British ships shall have free access to Chinese ports?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir Austen Chamberlain)As was pointed out in reply given by the Prime Minister to the Leader of the Opposition on 16th March, the instructions sent to His Majesty's Minister at Peking were that armed force should only be used in the last resort, for safeguarding the security of foreigners.