Settling Down

"American Policy." Ever since the Nanking outrage (TIME, April 4) and until last week, British pressure has been exerted to bring the U. S. into harmony with a British program of armed reprisals against the Chinese. U. S. President Coolidge has prudently and tenaciously resisted this pressure, and last week the British Government suddenly reversed its program, adopting the "American Policy" of what amounts to "watchful waiting" for a strong Chinese government to emerge. British Foreign Secretary Sir Austen Chamberlain informed the House of Commons last week of the Baldwin Cabinet's new attitude, declaring that Great Britain now favors that branch of the Chinese Nationalist movement which has set up a government at Nanking (TIME, May 2).

Nanking Proposals. The Nanking-Shanghai War Lord, General Chiang Kaishek, was absent with his troops last week, directing military operations against the Peking War Lord Chang Tso-lin. Meanwhile the Nankingese Foreign Minister, Dr. C. C. Wu, son of onetime Chinese Minister to the U. S. Wu Tingfang, issued a proclamation to the Powers:

"With every confidence in the good intentions of foreign governments, the Nanking government earnestly hopes that negotiations with a view to the conclusion of new treaties will immediately be opened. . . . The Chinese object not to the presence of the foreigner, but to his position of privilege. They consider that the foreigner should be placed on a footing of equality with the people among whom he has voluntarily chosen to live and trade."

From this it was seen that, although China is settling down a little, the original program of the Nationalists, "China for the Chinese," has not altered one iota.