'A few months later the Japanese began to demand. the fulfilment of very formidable terms, quite different from the comparatively innocuous fones that had been made public, and about a year Titer the independent Jgovernment of East Hopel was formed, On the same analogy we may, therefore, expect that in a. few months the Japanese will be Insist~ Ing on the fulfilment of the secret terms of the "Sung-Kasuki Agree. ment", ending with the formation of jan independent government of Hopel 'Chinese elreles make the somewhat childish statement' that even if any: thing was agreed to at the Tientsin Jeonference it was only by word of mouth and that no document wa signed. Even were this correct, i, to ignore the formidable fact that between fifteen and: 20,000 Japanese {troops are now standing on Chinese territory, and halt of them as far north as the neighbourhood of Pel-ping. They have already seized Tienisin and are behaving there just they did In Mukden in September 1831, even to the extent of putting their censors in the Chinese Post Janice to censor all malls, Under jruch circumstances a repudiation of any agreement-—whether written oF verbal—is simply mo longer practical polities. The presence of this large Japanese force right in the heart of Chinese territory is the main factor the present situation, No-one but the most devout worshipper of empty formulas can believe that the Jap-Janese will relinquish their stranglehold of Hopel except for some very de nite and valuable quid pro quo. Indeed, the military people have already stated that not a single Jap-lanose soldier will be withdrawn, and have indicated that this military oc-Jcupation will be used as a counter bargaining with Nanking.
Complete afisapprehension Many people, specially abroad, have hitherto. taken "the "view that the whole affair Is not so very serious after all, 2 mere affair of frontier Joutpests,' so to say, which can be smoothed over by' a few polite gestures and formulae on both sides. This is a complete misapprehension of the situation. No doubl, it did start as an affair of outposts letting off their rifles, but the Japanese losses, said to" have amounted to nearly 160 men altogether, was too. great a loss of prestige for the Kwantung Army to. swallow, without obtaining. in return some quite [spectacular and territorial gains, "The [Japanese military people are scarcely at any pains to conceal this altitude theirs, Well-informed quarters here, therefore, take a very serious view of the situation and believe that the Lukouchiao incident is likely to prove to be another turning-point inthe history of North Chins, just as was the 'Mukden incident of 1931, and that it is the prelude to' the. separation of the North from the rest of Cina, The fact that Gen. Sung Cheh-yuan has come up to Peiping is considered in many quarters to indicate that he has come to some definite agreement, with "the Japanese, "His whole altitude in this crisis has been the subject of much and varied comment, In certain Chinese circles, specially among the educationalists, the most violent criticisms are' being. levelled against him, and these
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.