793.94/7917: Telegram
The Counselor of Embassy in China (Peck) to the Secretary of State
157. 1. Embassy has obtained from Foreign Office translation of address on Sino-Japanese relations delivered at weekly memorial service this morning by Minister for Foreign Affairs as follows:
2. “In view of our persistent efforts towards cultivating friendly relations with our neighboring countries, [I] need not emphasize here the importance which we attach to the question of cooperation between China and Japan, which besides being neighbors are also united by [Page 169] the ties of racial and cultural affinities. Since the Mukden ‘incident’ of September 1931, however, an endless succession of crises of unprecedented gravity have resulted in the estrangement of the two peoples and increased their suspicions. The present abnormal state of their relations has been a cause of deep concern to farsighted persons in both countries, and it has been their common desire to restore the friendly feelings which should exist between the peoples and the Governments of the two countries.
3. “Speaking at the Sixty-Eighth Session of the Imperial Diet held over a year ago, Mr. Koki Hirota, then Foreign Minister in the Japanese Government, enunciated the principle of ‘nonaggression and no[n]-menace’ towards neighboring countries. Although no clear and concrete measures materialized to give effect to this idea of improving Sino-Japanese relations and no practical results were obtained, his efforts in the case [cause?] of peace created a deep impression abroad. With the assumption of the premiership by Mr. Hirota about a month ago and the subsequent appointment of Mr. Hachiro Arita to the post of Foreign Minister, there did not seem to be any fundamental change in Japan’s foreign policy. At the recent Sixty-Ninth Session of the Imperial Diet, the new Foreign Minister declared that it was Japan’s national policy ‘to insure the stability of East Asia, contributing thereby to the cause of world peace, and at the same time to promote the happiness and welfare of Nanking by upholding firmly international justice!’ In other words, Mr. Arita not only stated what he declared to be the policy of his Government but also expressed the common aspirations of the various peoples in eastern Asia.
4. “The situation between China and Japan being what it is today, further failure to achieve a thorough readjustment would not only be detrimental to the interests of the two countries, but concerns the whole question of peace in eastern Asia. Therefore, immediately after the assumption of my duties as Foreign Minister, I made up my mind to do my best to effect the readjustment of Sino-Japanese relations through diplomatic channels, and I am happy to say that a similar desire seems to exist in Japan. Nevertheless, it is a matter for regret that concrete discussions have not yet started as regards the scope of the desired readjustment and the manner in which it is to be brought about. So far as China is concerned, any problems, the solution of which will redound to the mutual welfare of the two countries and the security of peace in eastern Asia, are considered as coming within the scope of readjustment, and any formulas based on equality and reciprocity as well as mutual respect for sovereign rights are regarded helpful means towards achieving our end. The readjustment, which it is our intention to bring about, should not be confined to any local question, or to any particular issues. It is desired not as a temporary policy to ease the present situation, but with the object of ensuring the peaceful coexistence of the two peoples for generations to come.
5. “Nations, as individuals, may become the subjects of deep hatreds and animosities, but, as the Chinese saying goes, no lasting fuel ever lasts a century. The will to restore peace and harmony is bound to triumph, provided it is strong enough. It cannot be denied by seeming obstacles. Such being my firm belief, I consider the task of establishing friendly intercourse between China and Japan an immediate [Page 170] challenge to practical statesmanship in both countries. I appeal to the political foresight of the responsible authorities of both sides, and earnestly hope that they will make a strong effort to remove the cause of hostility and establish a lasting understanding. It is particularly urgent for them to appreciate each other’s standpoint and difficulties and to enter promptly into sincere discussions through the proper channels. It does not avail matters to indulge in mutual recriminations, to harp on vague principles, or to utter under [sic] threats of coercion or of reprisals. What is important is to face concrete problems bearing on the mutual interests of the two countries with an honest and sincere resolve to find equitable solutions.
6. “In the furtherance of her national economy, especially in the field of foreign trade, Japan has complained that she is being surrounded by the so-called economic blocs and the artificial barrier of economic nationalism. Now, in view of the intimate economic relations between China and Japan, any true consideration of the latter’s economic interests would presuppose a genuine sympathy with China in any situation tending to wreck her economic structure, as well as a desire to see such a situation ameliorated. At present the smuggling in North China has assumed amazing proportions. The flood of contrabands has paralyzed the market and killed the business of legitimate trade, both Chinese and foreign. Apart from the huge loss of revenue, the situation threatens the very foundation of our economic structure. The Customs Preventive Service, on account of the serious obstacles placed in its way, has been powerless to deal with this orgy of smuggling, but we believe that, if it is the real desire of Japan to cooperate with this country, a simple move on her part will instantly put an end to such a deplorable situation.
7. “Japan has frequently professed her concern over the Communist disturbances in certain parts of this country; and such concern is well understood by us inasmuch as the effects of internal agitations in one country are bound to be felt by its neighbors, due to the close interdependence of modern nations. During the last few years the Chinese Government has waged a relentless struggle against the Red menace, and the situation has been pacified to such a large extent that we are confident in the early liquidation of the whole trouble. Under whatever circumstances, China is determined not to relinquish even temporarily her firm hand against the Communists, nor to tolerate within her territory the subversive activities of any organization aiming at the overthrow of the existing political Institutions by force.
8. “During the last few years the Chinese people have concentrated their efforts on the rebuilding of their country strictly on the basis of self-salvation and self-help. We are confident in our own strength to bring about a national renaissance. We have never contemplated the possibilities of political alliance, nor have we attempted in the least manner to play off distant powers against neighboring countries. The basis of our policy is: live and let live. In other words, we want the right of national existence for ourselves, as well as the establishment of the principle of coexistence and coprosperity in the comity of nations. While we are making a supreme effort to ensure our own security, we also earnestly desire that all interested powers will jointly strive for the consolidation of peace in eastern Asia.”
9. By mail to Peiping and Tokyo.
- Telegram in seven sections.↩