We shall not go into the multifarious activities in the. economic sphere of a monopolistic character—phases of which this column has touched-upon on previous occasions. The heart of it is that there are all the signs and symbols that the new economic rule in Central China would run, if it could, along the similar monopoly pattern as elsewhere.
It is for this reason that the Government of the United States, whose hands are more free than that of any other Great Power, thought fit to address to the Government of Japan a strong Note on October 6, reciting the serious complaints of her nationals trading in China, and severely protesting against the infringement of the Open-Door policy and the provisions of the Nine-Power Pact.
The belated response in November of the Japanese was considered unsatisfactory by the United States Government who has maintained. since then, an ominous silence. The House of Lords held a debate on the same subject and endorsed the American stand in the matter, rejected as invalid all the contentions of the Japanese for restricting foreign trade.
Tt has been rumoured that Japan would be coming out now with an open denunciation of the Nine-Power Pact, but as yet this has not materialized. However, a ballan d@ssai, in the form of a newspaper article appearing in the Tokyo "Asahi," on December 10, could be considered as a likely-form that such rumoured denunciation of the Pact igío take. and the reasons therefor. of trade and the acquisition of arms Nor have the Japanese by any means achieved the so-called "ce-operation" much harped-upon.
It is more than likely, in view of the firmer grouping of the three totalitarian. nations, that the democratic Powers, in the interests of their own preservation, which is being threatened, would be gravitating towards each other. Whether they will be able to form a coalition in good time is the important matter.
So the fate of the Japan-China economic bloc will depend as much on foreign as domestic events. At present, there is no finality reached in the Sino-Japanese hostilities, nor any in sight for a long time to come, with all the sequences that such may have in its train. qms Ten Point Thesis The article contains ten points—it goes somewhat cynically one better than the Nine-Power Pact in number of points—and attempts a reasoned exposition of Japan's new political and economic stand. We regard this statement as being one of much significance and give hereunder points concerning economic activity.
1t is argued in the article that since the world is guided by the principle · of economic isolation,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.