§ Sir J. POWERasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can make any statement on the present state of affairs in China?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINThere has been no appreciable change since my reply to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Maidstone (Commander Bellairs) on 15th April. A disturbed state888W of affairs prevails in the Yangtse valley above Hankow, which is largely in the hands of the defeated Wuhan forces. During the past few days there has been intermittent fighting in the neighbourhood of Changteh, where British property has been looted and destroyed and a British subject seriously ill-treated. Efforts are being made by His Majesty's Navy to evacuate the foreigners there, but owing to the low water in the Tungting Lake the task presents great difficulty. The latest reports from Changteh indicate an improvement in the situation. A strong force of troops belonging to the First (Nanking) Group have been sent north to take part in the operations against Chang Tsung-chang. The departure of the Japanese troops from Shantung, which was to have begun on 16th April, has been postponed at the written request of the Chinese Government.