§ 52. Mr. Teelingasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the present position in Formosa; whether we have representatives there and to whom they are accredited; and what is to be the eventual settlement with regard to Formosa.
§ Mr. MayhewHis Majesty's Government maintain a consulate in Tamsui which is in charge of a regular member of His Majesty's Foreign Service. He maintains contact with the Chinese Nationalist authorities who are in control of the island. Any change in the legal status of Formosa can only be formally effected in a treaty of peace with Japan. But what the eventual settlement will be is a matter which His Majesty's Government cannot decide alone.
§ Mr. TeelingAm I to understand that the consul is working under direct instructions from London or from the ambassador who was formerly working in Nanking?
§ Mr. MayhewHe certainly does not get them from the ambassador. Such instructions as he gets, I should have thought, are directly from us.