Wang and-the refusal of Dr. Alfred Sze to accept the honour of filling the vacant post of Foreign Minister mark the weakness of China in her dealing with foreign affairs at the present moment. For one reason or other there has been no Chinese! Minister at Berlin, Tokyo, Ps aris, Washington Rome and—while Dr. Sze is at Geneva—London.
Now the Foreign Ministry is in charge of a deputy who, how-lever able, cannot possibly' carry the weight of a fully-installed occupant of the post. This defect may be the product of a Series of accidental mishaps. It suggests, however, the thought that there is something inherently amiss in the organisation which can so seriously handicap China's relations with the Powers. Possibly the subordin: tion of the Foreign Ministry in the Government may be in part the cause. It seems axiomatic that the position of Chinese Ministers abroad cannot be particularly easy when their official chief has, in his own Government, ne! ther the standing nor the influence of other Foreign Mini ters. The scheme for evolving a diplomatic service which would suitably man the posts at the various Legations abroad seems to have hung fire. It wilt have been noted that it secured pointed mention in the representation recently made by the deputation of students to General Chiang Kai-shek, When the Government take in hand the reorgani sation rendered necessary by Dr. Wang's disappearance ud come some understanding if the possibility'
understanding is not too optimistically regarded by recent messages from Hongkong, they may decide to give this matter greater attention than it seems hitherto to have obtained.
Dr. Wang's resignation must be looked upon as the direct outcome of the savage and wanton ult of which he was the victim on Tuesday. The mere fact that the information, on which the assailants based their conviction that his appeal to the League had failed, was egregiously false, adds to the ignominy of their action. At a moment when China's bearing in the face of a serious crisis was attracting the admiration of the world, when her representative at Geneva was earning the commendation of his colleagues for his dignified and restrained presentation of his country's case, it seemed to be particularly unfortunate that Chinese, deemed to be educated and well-informed, should make the Foreign Minister the victim of an affront which would have been positively childish had it not been so nearly fatal in its consequences. It is permissible to perceive in this incident an epitome of the difficulties with which Dr. Wang has had to con tend in directing the conduct of China's relations with Foreign signi ig due to medical Powers. It is stated that hie re-
advice. If it had been the expression of tired disgust at the folly of his young countrymen, there could hardly be much surprise, however distasteful such evidence of impatience might seem to the diplomat in Dr. Wang himself. It will be recognised that, although, for the ist few months, there has been severe criticism' of Dr. Wang's. direction of foreign policy on the ground that it has been totally inadequate in maintaining China's rights, as understood by the critics, he has in fact, been successful in securing what, in normal circumstances, would be considered very solid' gains for China in the diplomatic discussion of relationships with To pretend would be to acquiesce in a most extravagant conception of the possibilities. Indeed it may be confessed that Dr. Wang's policy, has itself been the victim of the unrealities which it has had to try to maintain in the face of the ever-growing evidence of uncomfortable facts.
The Government might do well to consider whether the failure which Dr. Wang implicitly admits, does not arise from disregard of the historical significance of the relations between China and foreign countries. The insistence by a large section of vocal Chinese opinion on the doctrine of "unequal treaties," the excess sive comprehensiveness of the term "sovereign rights," the invalidity of awkward engage-been an anachronism, has prevented the Government from taking a stand on the practical basis of ordinary international rineiples. So, side by side with Dr. Wang's perfectly eorrect discussions with Foreign Ministers, there has been seen the incongruous display of thodomontade in public' utterances, fantastically provocative claims and premature announcements entirely inimical to friendly diplomatic intercourse. would be insulting the intelligence, which Dr. Wang possessed in such large measure, to believe that he was a willing party to some of the extraordinary lapses occasional parent in alleged. -sem/-olfcial and undoubtedly official dicta from Nanking. "They would be Gismiased with the thought that they were merely intended for domestic consumption. The trouble, of course, was that domestic consumption led domestic indigestion. It created 'a frame of mind which made it utterly impossible for the Foreign Minister to behave, as probably his own personal judgment would have had him have, in the face of particularly awkward diplomatic contretemps, Even now there is the Thorburn Case on which the Government have to give an early finding. The creation of this dangerously fallacious outlook on foreign Policy among impressionable young politicians Government. Its sycee pended on continued immunity of what may be vulgarly termed the bluff from being called. Once that state of things ceased to obtain, disillusionment would completely undermine the confidence which had been precariously established. "Hence has come the stunning effect of the Japanese move in Manchuria, No doubt Dr. Wang is blamed for not having been able effectively to assert China's rights, In point of fact his appeal to th League was, as to-day's tel grams show, remarkably snee ful. But consistently flattered by speciously unreliable readings of the situation of China in Manchuria and elsewhere, many Chinese observers are bitterly disappointed. They fail to see that the ultimate assertion by facts of an unassailable right to a place in the scheme of things could not, be indefinitely postponed by a barrage of unrealities. That is the root cause of their disappointment with Di Wang. It may, therefore, be considered to be the reason for his resignation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.