Nationalist. Attempt.to Intimidate American Merchants Against Dissemination of Views on China 'The following statement issued by the Kuo Min News Agency' is textually reproduced as received by us. The Kuo Min News Agency is an organ of the Nationalist Government in Nanking: the spokesman is,.on the. statement of the agency in question, speaking. on behalf of the Ministry for Foreign Affa Shanghai, Aug. 29.
The attention of the Nationalist Govermnent authorities. hag been called to the activities. of th American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai, which organization apparently has departed from the! usual policy of a trade chamber and. is devotingzitselé to propaganda culated to induce the American Government to intervene in a military way in China.
Ju this connection, a spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Aftatrs suid to-day that particular attention had been directed to recent resolutions and cables which have been sent to Washington, D. C., by the American Chamber demanding that the American Marines be. used. to prevent China from increasing her Customs duties.
In addition to this recent action, reports have reached the Govern: ment from the United States that the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai has been circulating newspapers and. trade bodies. in America with "literature" compiled notorious tools of local "die hard" interests. which contain unwarranted attacks upon the Nationalist Government and its officials, the general purpose of which apparent.
to got the American Gove ment (0 become embroiled in_ the} imperialist conspiracy for military intervention in China, In reference to the. activities of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, referred to in the forefoing, the Foreign Office. spokesman pointed out that whilst the National-int Government welcomes legitimate moo Gilticliin' and. ce-operation on the part of foreign commercial organiza. tions in China, nevertheless when ai foreign chamber of commerce, such, ax the local American organization, departs from legitimate commercial pursuits and transforms itself into A propaganda organization for the Aissomination of information inimtcal to the friendly relations of. China and America, then it becomes a mi for of: serious concern wi Nationalist Government cannot, overlook, China and America have ensoyes peaceful and friendly relations nearly a century and a half, the! frst American commercial " ship Canton only a short time! following the. successful conclusion of the American Revolution agi domination by European Imperi ism, For many years. American merchants-traded peacefully at: Can._ ton with the Chinese merchants even before China and. Ameri entered into treaty relations! America has never been aggressive toward China as have other nations; and China has almost always. been able to look to America as a disinterested friend at critical periods, as, for instance, the Open Door Policy, the return of the Boxer! Indemnity, and the efforts of Secretary Hughes to give China a square deal at the Washington Conference.
Unfortunately, however, the local American Chamber of "Commerce eons to. have come under the influence of certain European imper. lallste "Interests and For. several months has been conducting' pro-Dagandu which fs detrimental to the Friendly relations of "China and America and also detrimental to the font Interests of those American merchants solely concerned. in_the development of trade between China fand the United States, In view of the fact that the American Chamber hag its headquarters. on Chinese sell, the Nationalist Government ts forced to call attention to this matter and' to issue a warning" that, unless the American Chamber censes {ts under-handed activities, the Nationalist Government forced to bring the matter to the attention of the American authori. ties and asicthat action may be taken by the American authorities to curb the: Chamber. whose. pro-imperialist activities serve merely. to provoke find alienate all Chinese interested {n the continuance of friendly relations between our country and America—Kuo Min.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.