Nov. 22.
There is clear evidence that the declaration of—Fukien's independence is aimed directly against General Chiang Kaishek, The strong backing which the 19th Route Army is giving to the movement; the presence of Mr, Eugene Chen, once more in the role of Foreign Minister, and the tentatively outlined programme all revive the personal animosities which General Chiang Kai-shek's quasi-dictatorial technique has continued. to inspire. At the root of the trouble is, of course, money. The effort to dispose of the 19th Route Army by giving it the Province of Fukien to protect: was equivalent to that of handing over the casino bank to the needy punter. The bank was sparsely stocked with cash. The 19th Route Army, moreover, was Inclined to rest on its oars or Jnurels, as the fancy decides to choose the term. It engaged in campaign of "bandit" suppress sion, It found that the communists from Kiangsi were not disposed to take Shanghai testimonials. as conclusive proof of the military superiority of their old friends. So, as things Aeveloped, it had no easy task. It lost a little interest in Fukien and it also. suffered material losses. Later these losses were enhanced by heavy defeats inflicted on the Army at' the hands of the Kiangsi Red troops. Moreover General Chen Chi-tang's forces were—not altogether thrilled by the 19th Route Army's claim to indulgence on account of its Shanghai prestige. The lack of resources in the Fukien province itself handicapped the Army in its growing isolation and the position of its leaders became equivocal. This naturally made them welcome the emergence of a definite movement against Nanking, The resignation of Mr. T. V. Soong revealed the gravity of the Government's financial position. Of this the active "opponents of General Chiang Kai-shek''s regime tool full advantage. Hopes discreetly nurtured in the pleasant exile of Hongkong sprang to life. General Li Chi-sen who has stormily breasted his way through politico-military—intrigues, first as General Chiang Kai-shek's henchman, then as a recalcitrant Kwangsi general in 'Wuhan, and later, "after a Pardon, as a high staff officer at Nanking, has taken the lead in forming' the new Government. At this stage it is quite impossible to say what measure of success, will attend this revolt. Much depends on the backing concerning which information is not likely to be available except on the basis of conjecture. Mr. Eugene Chen has made many appearances as a Foreign Minister. He has been seen in the part, as the theatrical critics would say, in Hankow, Nanking, Canton and, now, Foochow. On nearly every occasion the run of the play has been all too brief. Whether Foochow will bring Mr. Chen a respite from the buffets of an unkind fate remains to be seen. Reports from Nanking indicate that General Chiang Kai-shek is not disposed to. waste time in contemplating this defiance. He accepts the position that civil war is again on the Government's Preoccupations and troops have already been moved to the Chekiang and Fukien borders to deal with the situation. Obviously, however, the con: spiraters " have chosen their Province with discretion. They gan command some sort of free access to the sea, whence financial aid may come. Fukien's support of their movement may render it exceedingly difficult, even for Canton, to move naval reinforcements, for whatever they may be' worth, to thei'. assistance of the " Nanking Government. Canton, too, will he faced by some uncertainties for Kuangsi is reported to be, waur of the new Fukien In Shanghai Fukien residents are vigorously pro~ testing against this civil warjestablished has not. yet been threat. They urge loyalty to Nanking. It is not so certain that this attitude would be maintained were the clash really to come. Indeed the _permutations and combinations likely to be produced by this new demons. tration of China's internal malaise are an absorbing, if arid, study by even the most exasperated witness of political dilletantism, The chief interest in the movement lies in its inspiration. From the personnel of its leaders it would seem that here emerges the rump of the old Borodin party which has all along resented the severance of the Kuomintang from the Communist fold. Mr. Chen, General Chen Ming-shu and others have in the past been closely associated with Madame Sun_ Yat-sen who has lately identified herself with the uncompromising opponents of General Chiang Kai-shek. While this 'Third Party, as it has been called, may not definitely form an alliance with the Third International, it seems inclined to declare for a programme of agrarian so-dalism, which may bring closely' into sympathetic touch with the Kiangsi Soviet "Government." General Chen Chi-tang's understanding with Gen-oval Chang Kai-shek has apparently been firm enough to keep the South-West Political Council from more than lip-defiance of Nanking, albeit the: Canton Government and Gene Chen Chitang between them take good care that Canton revenues do not go far afield, Will that understanding be equal to engagement ina joint enterprise of alliance against the rebel Fukien regime? Here again the suspicion and mistrust always so malignant where rival warlords are contemplating the portent of a third intruder, have to be given their accustomed weight. Mr. Hu Han-min, in Hongkong, has not yet shown his hand. There asems to be no place for him at present in the Foochow council, He has. had experience of Moscow's agrarian programme in the days when he was Canton's delegate expressly deputed to study that aspect of the communist system, He has lately had an enthusiastic Japanese bouquet on which General Chiang Kaishek may be expected to look with some envy. General Chen Ming-shu's Japan years are also of some significance in a maritime province to the secur-of which Japanese policy has consistently attached—special importance. All things _considered, the Fukien revolt presents so many possibilities that immediate assessment of its political alignment is to be deprecated. It may be merely another symptom of the disintegration of Chinese finances and it may be a symptom with General Chiang Kai-shek can readily deal by prompt treatment.
It may be linked up with the formidable communist organisation in Kiangsi in some sort of working agreement. It fe may have behind it the full force of the opponents of the alleged dictatorship now funetioning in Nanking. The course of events during the next few days may help to extricate some of the pieces relevant to the latest jigsaw puzzle tendered by the volatility of Chinese politics.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.