Feb. 9.
Revrer's announcement yes terday that Japan's demands' of China "are apparently greater than given in any statement published up to the present' is not to reassure public opinion, Chinese or foreign. Elsewhere to-day our Peking correspondent gives an account of the the Chinese Minister for Foreign its, at which the Japanese Minister is reported to have pressed for acceptance, in principle, of the programme en bloc, a request which China—steadily. declines. The next meeting to be held last Friday, or, ing to another report, not until yesterday, Mr. In Cheng-hsiong pleading that as he was but newly become Foreign Minister he must have time to study all papers connected with the. These are the usual tactics of procrastination, China's natural refuge, in which she has proved herself so adept, in face of far more severe compulsion than we believe Japan has any idea of applying, that, even if Japan's demands are all that has been said of them, outside parties have—probably some time still in which to collect and shape their ideas. It must he admitted that the case against Japan does not look well, especially considering the time chosen for the opening of these "conversations." But it must also be remembered that as_yet we have not heard her side of the case, except for a clementi issued in Tokio of a kind that may mean everything or nothing.
There is, moreover, one most important factor which must not he overlooked. Our Peking correspondent has described China's position as one, at the present time, of complete isolation. But much as we regret to differ from him, we cannot altogether share that view. In a sense, of course, China is isolated; and there can be no question but that the majority of the great Powers are too vitally occupied elsewhere to have much thought for their policy towards China. But Germany is not among them. For several years past she has devoted herself with extraordinary thoroughness in detail to gaining an ascendency in China. The fact that she has lost Tsingtao, so far from allowing her to relax those Original from
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.