This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1909 edition. Excerpt: ... as the French lease of Kwang-chau Bay. Great Britain was anxious to see the policy of "the open door" carried out in China, so that all the nations should have fair play, and in all the discussions which took place in Parliament on the subject, this was insisted upon, as well as the necessity of maintaining ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1909 edition. Excerpt: ... as the French lease of Kwang-chau Bay. Great Britain was anxious to see the policy of "the open door" carried out in China, so that all the nations should have fair play, and in all the discussions which took place in Parliament on the subject, this was insisted upon, as well as the necessity of maintaining the integrity of the Chinese Empire. The matters were also much discussed in Japan, and an association was formed in April 1898 called the Taigai-doshi-kwai or Association of Foreign Policy, with a view to induce the Government to take measures to meet the new order of things. It was composed of prominent statesmen and other leading men in the country, and, when its representatives called upon Marquis Ito, the Premier " assured them that the Government would not neglect to promote the interests of the nation," and is said to have intimated " that the attitude of Great Britain was very favourable to Japan." Shortly afterwards, the Japanese Government, in order to forestall the lease or occupation of the province of Fokien opposite Formosa by a European Power, which would menace Japan's possession of Formosa and Pescadores Islands, demanded and obtained, just as Great Britain had in respect of the Yang-tsze Valley, from China a promise not to alienate the province. In order not to be behind the other European Powers, in February 1899 Italy demanded from the Chinese Government the lease of Sammum Bay on the coast of Che-kiang as a coaling station and naval base, including the concession of three islands off the coast, with the right to construct a railway from Sammum Bay to Poyang Lake within a sphere of influence comprising the southern two-thirds of Che-kiang province as necessary to the preservation of the...
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