London, May 28. PHE British Government last night was drafting a stiff note to Japan refusing to recognize Japan's naval blockade of the China coast and firmly rebuting Japanese demands for the control of all international settlement: in China, The British note, being drafted by Sir William Malkin, adviser to the Foreign Office, was the direct result of advices from the British Ambassador to Japan, Sir Robert Craigie.
He reported yesterday that the Japanese Foreign Office had assumed responsibility for a Japanese spokesman's pronouncement threatening Japan's resort to force to ensure Japanese "rights install comers in China. ale. kagersding nte-sechtls Britain has clear cut treaty rights in China and unequivocally rejects Japanese claims to the right of block-fade in China and Japanese demands For control of all foreign areas.
With the Anglo-Sovie_ mutual assistance pact on the verge of conelt sion, British relations with all. Pow: Jers associated with the Rome-Berlin= Tokyo axis have deteriorated in the past few days, Government circles dicated last night The Japanese pronouncement 10 which the forthcoming British note will reply stated, according to official advices received here, that the fore eign settlements in China should be regarded as naturally under Chinese sovereignty "inasmuch as China's sovereign rights, though suspended, have not, been lost, "Hence," the Japanese spokesmen is reported officially to have continued, it is natural that this sovereignty. should come under the control of Japan in those parts of China cupied by Japan.
"Antiedapanese activities in the oe" cupied areas," the Japanese Foreign Oflice spokesman continued, may properly be eradicated by Japan, even By"'mititary Toree: there is no room for admission of foreign interference or intervention in this particular con~ nection with the administration of the foreign settlements Kulangsu, he adds, has become a test case of the first ce. Japan ating to herself belligerent rights while not admitting that she it state of war docs not exist legally, "the correspondent asserts, then Japan has no legal basis to claim If Japanese interference: with Briish rights in International Seti ments were to become serious, he continues, the imposition of retain" tory penalties on Japanese trade would be Great Britain's most obvious weapon.
'This. weapon, the correspondent 'Japan has' good reason to fear, without her British, French and American trade she could Not catty on the war.—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.