Treaty Series No. 773
Treaty Regulating Tariff Relations Between the United States of America and the Republic of China, Signed at Peking, July 25, 19281
The United States of America and the Republic of China, both being animated by an earnest desire to maintain the good relations [Page 476] which happily subsist between the two countries, and wishing to extend and consolidate the commercial intercourse between them, have, for the purpose of negotiating a treaty designed to facilitate these objects, named as their Plenipotentiaries:—
- The President of the United States of America:
- J. V. A. MacMurray, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to China; and the Government Council of the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China:
- T. V. Soong, Minister of Finance of the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China;
who, having met and duly exchanged their full powers, which have been found to be in proper form, have agreed upon the following treaty between the two countries:
Article I
All provisions which appear in treaties hitherto concluded and in force between the United States of America and China relating to rates of duty on imports and exports of merchandise, drawbacks, transit dues and tonnage dues in China shall be annulled and become inoperative, and the principle of complete national tariff autonomy shall apply subject, however, to the condition that each of the High Contracting Parties shall enjoy in the territories of the other with respect to the above specified and any related matters treatment in no way discriminatory as compared with the treatment accorded to any other country.
The nationals of neither of the High Contracting Parties shall be compelled under any pretext whatever to pay within the territories of the other Party any duties, internal charges or taxes upon their importations and exportations other or higher than those paid by nationals of the country or by nationals of any other country.
The above provisions shall become effective on January 1, 1929, provided that the exchange of ratifications hereinafter provided shall have taken place by that date; otherwise, at a date four months subsequent to such exchange of ratifications.
Article II
The English and Chinese texts of this Treaty have been carefully compared and verified; but, in the event of there being a difference of meaning between the two, the sense as expressed in the English text shall be held to prevail.
[Page 477]This treaty shall be ratified by the High Contracting Parties in accordance with their respective constitutional methods, and the ratifications shall be exchanged in Washington as soon as possible.
In testimony whereof, we, the undersigned, by virtute of our respective powers have signed this Treaty in duplicate in the English and Chinese languages and have affixed our respective seals.
[seal]
[seal]
- In English and Chinese; Chinese text not printed. Ratification advised by the Senate, Feb. 11, 1929; ratified by the President, Feb. 13, 1929; ratified by China, Nov. 30, 1928; ratifications exchanged at Washington, Feb. 20, 1929; proclaimed by the President, Feb. 23, 1929.↩