1926

562
CHINA
or constructed by Japan, with certain exceptions; Japan undertook to withdraw hens
troops on the Tsingtao-Tsinan Railway; Japan undertook to transfer to China the:
Tsingtao-Tsiuan Railway and its branches, “together with all other properties
appurtenant thereto,” on receiving payment from China; Japan undertook to transfer1;'
the mines at Tsechwan, Fangtze, and Chinlingchen to a company in which the capital
would be shared in equal proportions by Japanese and Chinese. The Shantung;;
Commission, to give effect to these provisions, was convened at the conclusion of the!l
Washington Conference. It met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Peking, Dr. C. T.i ’
Wang being the chairman of the Chinese Commissioners, and Mr. Yukio Obata, then
Minister of Japan to China, being the chairman of the Japanese Commissioners. At
settlement was reached early in December, the terms of which will be found in their
Treaty section of this volume.
Other results of the Washington Conference which have a special bearing on; c
China were the Nine-Power Treaty, the Chinese Tariff Treaty, and the resolution] c
regarding the withdrawal of foreign Postal agencies in China.
The Nine-Power Treaty, signed by the United States, Belgium, the British |
Empire, China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Portugal, was intended to !
give effect to “ a policy designed to stabilise conditions in the Far East, to safeguard
the rights and interests of China, and to promote intercourse between China and the:
other Powers upon the basis of equality of opportunity.” Briefly, the covenant seeks:
to end for all time the pursuit by interested Powers of “spheres of influence” and;
reaffirms the Hay principle of the Open Door and equal opportunity for the trade and
commerce of the world in China. China, on her part, agreed not to alienate any part
of her Territory to any foreign Power, A clause to which the Chinese attach much
significance is that which provides for the registration and consequent publicity of all]
treaties and agreements between China and the other Powers and all contracts and
agreements between China and private individuals and corporations of foreign
countries.
The Tariff Treaty was the result of a resolution passed by the Powers participating;
in the Washington Conference authorising the revision of China’s import tariff, “so1
that the rates shall be equivalent to 5 per cent, effective, as provided for in the several!
commercial Treaties to which China is a party.” Certain concessions were also made!
by the Powers with the object of helping China to meet the conditions contained in!
international agreements, notably the Mackay Treaty between Great Britain and;
China, concluded in 1902, providing for the abolition of interior imposts known under
the generic name of likin. These concessions were a 2-| per cent, surtax and an extra I
per cent, on such luxuries “ as can bear a greater increase without unduly imped-:
ing trade.” At the conclusion of the Conference, the Tariff Revision Commission :
commenced its sittings in Shanghai to give effect to the resolution, and the result of its j
decisions is given in the Treaty section of this volume.
All foreign Postal Agencies in China have been withdrawn on the understanding
that an efficient Chinese postal service is maintained and that the Chinese
Government do not contemplate any change in the present Postal Administration j
so far as the status of the foreign co-Director-General is concerned. This arrange- :
ment came into force on January 1st, 1923. All the British Postal Agencies were
closed and withdrawn by December 1st, 1922.
These treaties and arrangements, together with the resolutions, will be found in i
the Treaty section of this volume.