701.0093M47/374

The Senior Minister in China (Oudendijk) to the Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs (C. T. Wang)92

Monsieur le Ministre: Your Excellency is no doubt aware that on May 5th, 1919, Sir J. Jordan as Dean of the Diplomatic Body addressed a note to the Government then established in Peking stating that the Governments of Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, the United States, Russia, Brazil, France and Japan had agreed effectively to restrain their subjects and citizens from exporting to or importing into China arms and munitions of war and material destined exclusively for their manufacture, until the establishment of a government whose authority was recognised throughout the whole country.

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To this agreement, known as the Arms Embargo Agreement, the Governments of the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Italy subsequently adhered.

The Dean’s note, of which a copy is enclosed for convenience of reference, makes it clear that the Governments concerned were inspired with a desire to act in the best interests of China herself at a time when the country was unhappily torn by civil war.

The situation has now been reconsidered, and with the authority of the representatives in China of the Governments concerned, I have the honour to make to you the following communication.

The Governments of the Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Spain, the United States, France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Italy, Japan and Portugal, having reviewed the Arms Embargo Agreement of May 5th 1919 in the light of the changed situation resulting from the establishment of the National Government, consider that there is no longer any reason for the continuance of that Agreement and have decided to regard it as cancelled as from to-day’s date.

[No signature indicated]
  1. Annexe i to the minutes of the 374th meeting of the Diplomatic Corps at Peking, April 19, 1929.