It is interesting to note that the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs is taking active steps in connexion with the registration of Chinese citizens as "foreign subjects, citizens or proteges" and apparently he is being strongly supported by the local merchants.
As already stated in these columns, Mr. Hsu Yuan, the Commissioner, had requested the Ministry' of Foreign Affairs in Peking to approach the Diplomatic Corps with a view to preventing the practice complained of. On Thursday last the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce telegraphed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce and the Ministry of Interior supporting Mr. Hsu.
The latest step in connexion with the matter is that the Commissioner has approached the Consular Body in Shanghai, asking that hereafter no person or persons who apply for registration in foreign consulates should be permitted to do so without first having obtained sanction from the Ministry of Interior, and that such persons should not be accepted as foreign pro= teges without a thorough investigation having first been made regarding their past career Mr. Hsu asks also that the various law courts be instructed to refuse recognition to such Chinese claiming foreign protection until the matter has been definitely threshed out, or until these persons have passed the regular procedure renouncing Chinese citizenship. Mr. Hsu further requests that before such persons are registered, inquiries should be made to see whether or not they are involved in any lawsuit.
In view of the interest aroused at the present juncture in this subject, the Chinese law applicable to such cases may be quoted. Article 12 of Section 3 of the Chinese Law Relating to Nationality states that:—of.
"Those persons desiring to give ap their (Chinese) nationality shall first receive sanction from the Minister of Article 4 of the same Section says:—"No person shall lose his nationality if ha is involved in any lawsuit, civil or criminal, or has any connexion whatever with such." 7 The majority of Chinese desirous of foreign citizenship are, it is believed, ignorant of the first step towards abandoning their Chinese nationality.
Scathing remarks in connexion with this question have been made by the Chinese press, who state that when there is no trouble and when a man can earn money, he claims Chinese nationality and enjoys the privileges afforded to Chinese citizens. When, however, he is in trouble, he refuses to consider himself 'a Chinese citizen,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.