Mr. MALONEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, as the Nine-Power Treaty, signed at Washington on 6th February, 1922, covers all the provinces of China, including Manchuria, His Majesty's Government regard Manchuria as Chinese territory; whether His Majesty's Government have recognised, either tacitly or expressly, the special interests of Japan in Manchuria; and whether any other Power 2637W signatory of the Nine-Power Treaty has stated that it does not recognise that Japan has any special rights and interests in the Manchurian provinces?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINHis Majesty's Government regard Manchuria as being part of China; they do not recognise Japan as having any special interests in that territory other than those conferred by Treaty and those referred to in Baron Shidehara's statement at the Plenary Session of the Washington Conference on 4th February, 1922, for the text of which I would refer the hon. Member to page 76 of the White Paper on the Conference on Limitation of Armament, Washington, 1921–22 (Command 1627). The answer to the last part of the hon. Member's question is in the negative, except in so far as it may apply to protests made by the Peking and Nanking Governments.