893.01/177
The Minister in China (Schurman) to the Secretary of State
Peking, January 5,
1925.
[Received February 3.]
No. 2696
Sir: I have the honor to refer to Mr. Mayer’s
telegrams Nos. 472 and 478 of December 4, 3 p.m., and December 9, 5
p.m., relative to the note addressed to the Chinese Government on
December 9th by the representatives of the United States, Belgium, Great
Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and The Netherlands, in which it was
declared in the names of their Governments that they would lend their
full support to the Provisional Government in Peking under the present
Provisional Chief Executive, upon certain understandings.
My telegram No. 501 of December 24, 3 p.m.,74 contained a summary of the Wai Chiao Pu’s reply
of December 23rd. I now have the honor to transmit herewith enclosed,
for the Department’s information, a copy of a translation of the last
mentioned note.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure—Translation]
The Chinese Acting Minister for Foreign
Affairs (Shen
Jui-lin) to the American
Minister (Schurman)
In acknowledging the receipt of the joint Communication of the Heads
of Missions at Peking of the United States of America, Belgium,
Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan and The Netherlands under date
of December 9, 1924, which has been acceded to by Portugal in a Note
dated December 18th, 1924, from the British Minister on behalf of
the Portuguese Government, the Chinese Government desire to express
their gratification at the declaration made by them in the names of
their Governments, that they will lend their full support to the
Provisional Government in Peking under the present Chief Executive
which, they are correct in understanding, has been
[Page 443]
constituted with the concurrence of
the Nation and will lead to the establishment of a formal Government
truly representative of the Republic. The Chinese Government desire
to assure them that the Chinese Government will continue to respect,
as they have always respected, all the Treaties, Conventions, and
other engagements duly entered into by China, and even in
exceptional cases where a divergence of interpretation has arisen
the Chinese Government have always endeavored to seek an equitable
solution with the Power or Powers concerned in accordance with
international usage.
The Chinese Government are gratified to be apprised that the
Governments signatory to the Washington Treaties are willing and
anxious to proceed as soon as practicable with the carrying out of
the measures contemplated in the Washington Treaties and
Resolutions. These measures, which are purposely restricted to those
which were immediately practicable, were unconditionally agreed upon
to be forthwith carried out. The Chinese Government regret the delay
which has unexpectedly occurred and sincerely hope that, with the
assurance of friendly assistance now given by the Governments
concerned, these measures could soon be put into execution, in
accordance with the intentions and agreements of the Washington
Conference. They wish to add, furthermore, that in view of the
desire of the Chinese Government to consolidate the friendship
between China and the friendly Powers on a permanent and sound
basis, they hope that the Powers concerned will also at an early
date give sympathetic consideration to the other well-known national
aspirations of the Chinese people, submitted in recent years to
different international conferences by the Chinese Government, so
that their relations may be further improved to their mutual
benefit.
Peking, December 23,
1924.
