893.51/5306: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
509. Legation’s 494, June 24, 5 p.m. Following telegram has been sent to the Minister at Shanghai:
“June 27, 3 p.m. For the Minister: Legation’s June 24, 5 p.m. At meeting of Diplomatic Body this morning, following draft notes, to be sent (1) to Marshal Yen and (2) to Doctor C. T. Wang were concurred in by all representatives except myself. I trust that I may be authorized as early as possible to concur in order that the notes may be despatched.
1. ‘Excellency: On behalf of my interested colleagues and myself, I have the honor to advert to the change of personnel of the customshouse in Tientsin effective under Your Excellency’s instructions, whereby the unity of the Customs Administration has been seriously jeopardized.
My colleagues and I feel it our duty to point out that the integrity of the Maritime Customs Administration, which has hitherto been preserved intact through long periods of civil strife, is of the first importance; not only are the entire customs revenues the cornerstone of the Chinese on which the credit of the country is built but the smooth working of the customs organization is vital to the continued prosperity of the country’s trade. Any action therefore by any authority which tends to the disintegration of that organization is highly detrimental to financial and commercial interests in China whether Chinese or foreign.
The representatives of the interested powers feel constrained to point out that Your Excellency’s action runs counter to the declaration of the Chinese delegation to the Washington Conference in 1922 to the effect that the Chinese Government had no intention of taking any steps which might disturb the present administration of the customs.78
In notifying Your Excellency as above I enclose herewith a copy of a note which I addressed equally on behalf of my interested colleague and myself to His Excellency Dr. Wang Cheng-ting on the subject of the levying of Tientsin duties in Shanghai and other ports.’
Number 2. ‘Monsieur le Ministre: My interested colleagues and myself have taken note that a declaration has been issued stating that the Tientsin customshouse is temporarily closed; that the staff of the customshouse has been withdrawn; and that cargo destined for Tientsin will be released upon the liquidation at other ports of all fiscal obligations.
My colleagues and I have the honor to invite Your Excellency’s attention to the fact that, under the treaties in force between China and the foreign powers, import duties are only payable on the landing of the goods and export duties on the shipment of the same. It is therefore not within the competence of any authorities to stipulate that import and export duties properly leviable at Tientsin shall [Page 260] henceforward be collected at other ports; which moreover lays an unwarranted burden on the trade of foreign nationals.
The representatives of the interested powers have the honor accordingly to notify Your Excellency that they must refuse to admit any right to collect customs duties at any port not in accordance with the procedure clearly specified in the treaties. They must therefore hold the Chinese Government responsible for the refund of any double duties paid by their respective nationals under the declaration above quoted and they reserve to themselves the right to claim the remissions of such double duties from the Chinese Government. (Here insert third paragraph of the above-quoted note to Yen.)
In notifying Your Excellency as above, the aforesaid representatives have the honor to forward a copy of a communication which they are addressing to Minister for Foreign Affairs [Marshal?] Yen on the subject of the recent proceedings regarding the Tientsin customs.’”
- Telegram in four sections.↩
- See Foreign Relations, 1922, vol. i, p. 353.↩