Page:Stanley Kuhl Hornbeck - The Situation in China (1927).djvu/18

 Of all the foreign governments, that of Soviet Russia is probably the most active in the prosecution of a positive China policy. Russia is no longer party to any of the old style treaties or agreements with China and the Soviet Government openly opposes the efforts of all the Powers which seek to follow the principle of cooperative action. The objective underlying Russia's China policy appears to be that of making trouble, trouble for everybody, trouble particularly for the "capitalistic" states, trouble for China. It may well be doubted whether the Soviet leaders entertain any hope of "bolshevizing" China in the sense of making China communistic. If they have such hope it will be vain. But there can be no doubt that they seek to indoctrinate the Chinese with the idea of revolt—and in this they are being highly successful. During the past two years they have been the main foreign support of the People's National army in the North (Feng) and the Nationalist Government and army (Canton-Hankow) in the South. They have supplied money, munitions, advisers and officers.

It is estimated that the various Chinese armies total in the aggregate between 1,200,000 and 1,500,000 men. The Mukden, Shanghai and Canton-Hankow forces have their own arsenals, each turning out rifles and small arms ammunition. Mukden has the most extensive ordnance plants and Chang Tso-lin has equipped his forces with light field guns and trench mortars. He is building up a large aircraft equipment. It is generally con-