1927

THE CHUNGKING AGREEMENT, 1890
ADDITIONAL ARTICLE TO THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN GREAT
BRITAIN AND CHINA OF SEPTEMBER 13th, 1876
Ratifications Exchanged at Peking, 18th January, 1891
The Governments of Great Britain and China, being desirous of settling in an
amicable spirit the divergence of opinion which has arisen with respect to the First
■Clause of the Third Section of the Agreement concluded at Chefoo in 1876, which
stipulates that “ The British Government will be free to send officers to reside at
Chungking to watch the conditions of British trade in Szechuan, that British mer-
-chants will not be allowed to reside at Chungking, or to open establishments or
warehouses there, so long as no steamers have access to the port, and that when
steamers have succeeded in ascending the river so far, further arrangements can be
taken into consideration,” have agreed upon the following Additional Articles :—
I. —Chungking shall forthwith be declared open to trade on the same footing as
any other Treaty port. British subjects shall be at liberty either to charter Chinese
vessels or to provide vessels of the Chinese type for the traffic between Ichang and
Chungking.
II. —Merchandise conveyed between Ichang and Chungking by the above class
of vessels shall be placed on the same footing as merchandise carried by steamers
between Shanghai and Ichang, and shall be dealt with in accordance with Treaty
Tariff Rules, and the Yangtsze Regulations.
III. —All regulations as to the papers and flags to be carried by vessels of the
above description, as to the repackage of goods for the voyage beyond Ichang and
■as to the general procedure to be observed by those engaged in the traffic between
Ichang and Chungking with a view to insuring convenience and security, shall be
•drawn up by the Superintendent of Customs at Ichang, the Taotai of the Ch’uan
Tung Circuit, who is now stationed at Chungking, and the Commissioners of Customs
in consultation with the British Consul, and shall be liable to any modifications that
■may hereafter prove to be desirable and may be agreed upon by common consent.
IV. —Chartered junks shall pay port dues at Ichang and Chungking in accord¬
ance with the Yangtsze Regulations; vessels of Chinese type, if and when entitled
-to carry the British flag, shall pay tonnage dues in accordance with Treaty
Regulations. It is obligatory on both chartered junks and also vessels of Chinese
•type, even when the latter may be entitled to carry the British flag, to
take out at the Maritime Custom-house special papers and a special flag
when intended to be employed by British subjects in the transport of goods
between Ichang and Chungking, and without such papers and flag no vessels
of either class shall be allowed the privileges and immunities granted under this
Additional Article. Provided with special papers and flag, vessels of both classes
shall be allowed to ply between the two ports, and they and their cargoes shall be
■dealt with in accordance with Treaty Rules and the Yangtsze Regulations. All other
vessels shall be dealt with by the Native Customs. The special papers and flag
issued by the Maritime Customs must alone be used by the particular vessel for
which they were originally issued, and are not transferable from one vessel to
another. The use of the British flag by vessels the property of Chinese is strictly
-prohibited. Infringement of these Regulations will, in the first instance, render
the offender liable to the penalties in force at the, ports hitherto opened under Treaty,
.and should the offence be subsequently repeated, the vessel’s special papers and flag
will be withdrawn, and the vessel herself refused permission thenceforward to trade
between Ichang and Chungking.
V. —When once Chinese steamers carrying cargo run to Chungking, British
•steamers shall in like manner have access to the said port.