Hankow, Jan. 18.
The object of China's armed resistance against Japan is to safeguard her national existence and to maintain the sanctity of international treaties, declares a statement issued here to-day by the National Government reaffirming its determina~ tion to maintain China's sovereign rights and territorial and administrative integrity.
Although her desire for peace remains unchanged, the statement asserts, China cannot tolerate any encroachment by any foreign country upon her sovereign rights and territorial and administrative integrity, which are the essential attributes of her independent status and which all interested Powers, by solemn treaty, have pledged themselves to respect.
"In whatever circumstances," the document proceeds, "the Chinese Government will exert its utmost to maintain the sovereign rights and administrative integrity, of China Explaining last Sunday's statement, Mr, Akira Kazami, Secretary-General of the Cabinet, said to-night that there could be no declaration of war on China since that would imply relationship between the Japanese and Nationalist Governments.
"Having stated that the Kuomintang administration does not represent China, the Japanese Government cannot deal with it by declaring war on it," he pointed out.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.