Page:League of Nations-Appeal by the Chinese Government.pdf/34

 appointee. He refused to do so and was thereupon forbidden to carry on his duties. The Chinese authorities replaced freely members of the Soviet staff by their own nominees, many Soviet citizens were arrested, and some were deported. The Chinese justified the violent action taken on the ground that the Soviet Government had broken its pledge not to engage in propaganda directed against the political and social systems of China. The Soviet Government, in its note of May 30th, denied the charge.

In consequence of the forcible liquidation of the remaining Russian rights and interests, the Soviet Government decided to take action. After the exchange of several notes, it recalled from China its diplomatic and commercial representatives, and all its nominees to posts in the Chinese Eastern Railway, and severed all railway communications between its territory and China. China, likewise, broke off relations with the U.S.S.R. and withdrew all Chinese diplomatic officers from Soviet territory. Raids by Soviet troops across the Manchurian border began and developed into a military invasion in November 1929. After having suffered defeat and severe loss of prestige, the Manchurian authorities, to whom the Nanking Government entrusted the settlement of the dispute, were forced to accept the demands of the U.S.S.R. On December 22nd, 1929, a Protocol was signed at Habarovsk whereby the statustatus [sic] quo was re-established. During the dispute, the Soviet Government had always taken the position, in answer to various memoranda from third-Power signatories to the Pact of Paris, that her action had been taken in legitimate self-defence and could in no way be interpreted as a breach of that agreement.

Before describing the interests of Japan in Manchuria, which are dealt with at length in the next chapter, a brief reference must be made, in this account of the position of Russia in Manchuria, to the relations between that country and Japan since 1905.

It is an interesting fact that the war between Russia and Japan was followed almost immediately by a policy of close co-operation. and when peace was concluded they were able to strike a satisfactory balance between their respective spheres of interest in North and South Manchuria. Such traces of the conflict as might have remained behind were rapidly eﬂaced by controversies with other Powers which wanted to engage actively in the development of Manchuria. The fear of other rivals hastened the process which was reconciling the two countries. The Treaties of 1907, 1910, 1912 and 1916 brought the two countries progressively closer together.

The Russian Revolution of 1917, followed by the declarations of the Soviet Government of July 25th, 1919, and of October 27th, 1920, regarding its policy towards the Chinese people and, later, by the Sino-Soviet Agreements of May 31st, 1924, and September 20, 1924, shattered the basis of Russo-Japanese understanding and co-operation in Manchuria. This fundamental reversal of policy radically changed the relations of the three Powers in the Far East. Moreover, the Allied intervention (1918–1920). with its aftermath of friction between the Japanese and Soviet forces in Siberia (1920–1922), had accentuated the change in the relations between Japan and Russia. The attitude of the Soviet Government gave a strong impetus to China's nationalistic aspirations. As the Soviet Government and the Third international had adopted a policy opposed to all imperialist Powers which maintained relations with China on the basis of the existing treaties, it seemed probable that they would support China in the struggle for the recovery of sovereign rights. This development revived all the old anxieties and suspicions of Japan towards her Russian neighbour. This country. with which she had once been at war, had, during the years which followed that war. become. a friend and ally. Now this relationship was changed. and the possibility of a danger from across the North-Manchurian border again became a matter of concern to Japan. The likelihood of an alliance between the Communist doctrines in the