'The war situation In China now covers an extraordinarily large area. of the country. The Strong force of Japanese invaders In the orth being' opposed by the concentration of Chi-Rose troops round Tatung which the Japanese have captured and Paotingfa where the Chinese nave large forces and along the lent sin-Pukow Railway. The Japanese line seems nov. with the capture of Hsinchi, to stretch from Fisineht across the Peiping-Hankow Railway at Liang hislang, 35 miles south of Peiping, and thence 'Seros' che Great Wall to Tatung." The threat fo. Canton hot stimulates Chinese military defensive measures in the south, and around Shanghat_ the Japanese have estimated that something like 20'Chinese divisions have been concentrated. In the meantime the Japanese Ihave declared a naval blockade of the Ching const but exempting from it the port of Ting foo. Historieally, this is the biggest Invasion China which has taken place since the middle of the Seventeenth Century when Tsung Cheng, last emperor. of the" Ming dynasty, Was unable to withstand the invasion by the Manchis who, took possession of Peking and established the "Tact'sing dynasty in 1044, "The extent to which Japanese claims to success in the North are uted wil as usual only be established the events untold themselves. "The. Chi have agreed: that Tatung has believed that around that city very. fause tu effect the Japanese are. being opposed too. verinily "paratel tines Sof" Chie ese. troops and it is by. no Tacans clear what way ce-ordination has been effect fea "between those independent forces. Paoting' Is ay held and the Japancto are proposing. it. would seem {o' make that. their next point. of attack, but the statements also sugost that hero ts a forward Japanese movement designed to thrust strong force in between Tatung and Paotingty withthe possible object of taking the Tatung Concentration in the rear, The situation round Shanghat has received attention recently and thas litre changed. The position of the Chinese forces in Pootung is threatened, ft is believed, by. potable attempt on the part of the Japanese to da lodge them by landing forees on the peninsula, un effort which has already been made without success, "Ju. the meantime. the Chinese have hela out at" Kiangwan which Is onalderably In advance of their new line, the Japanese have landed artillery and ome of it hag come into action, which suggests That certain of the Chinese forces are not afeald fof the naval guns, The possibility of the Chie ese nol holding the new line a moment longer than they' consider' they have umiclontiy delayed the Japanese defences has to be taken Into account and that may also have an effect Jon the position in Pootung, although yesterday the Indications wore that' the Pootung area might again come into the limelight before Tone. 1 will be seen from this brief account of the whole situation that both sides are making a rear effort. The activity of the Japanese Naval {forces alone, to say nothing of their independent Jair operations In" bombing Chinese. cities, involves the expenditure of a considerable amount Jof men and resources.. The big Chinese confeentration near Shanghai and in other parte Stready tamed alco constitute an effort of no Tittle magnitude. 'The prospect therefore of an early cessation of hostilities does not seem particularly bright. On the one side there 1s" the arrival of considerable forees of Japanese. who will' not be content to stay where they are or Zo. Vack without substantial "reason; on the other side is a country whose territory has been. [heavily attacked so that there is a widespread determination to resist so Jong as the effort can made.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.