RACE FOR FAR EASTERN EMPIRE
Howard, Harry Paxton
Race For Far Eastern Empire By HARRY PAXTON HOWARD EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second of two articles on the behind-the-scenes struggle for Asia. The first, which appeared last week, showed how...
...But Stalin's threat of independent action, in regard both to Germany and China, brought results...
...This time, however, the Japanese demanded compensation, and bluntly refused to share the just-occupied territories of Manchuria with Western powers, as proposed by the U. S.-League of Nations "commission of enquiry...
...FOR MORE than half a century, China has been the main center of rivalry among the empires...
...The Baltic will be Russian and not German...
...Persia And The Balkans But Moscow has had most important compensation...
...He can watch carefully and shrewdly...
...The Japanese established their direct control not only over South Manchuria, but also over North Manchuria—long a Russian "sphere...
...On Aug...
...It showed how the Western powers blasted Japan out of her historic isolation, how Great Britain and the United States built up the Japanese Empire "as an ally and tool against China and Russia," only to have the Japanese strike out alone for control of empire in the Orient, and how the principal powers liave competed for mastery in the East...
...Chiang Kai-shek and his erstwhile partner, Wang Ching-wei, to establish themselves at Nanking...
...The Soviet regime, after some years, entered the struggle for China with completely unorthodox tactics, and no holds barred...
...To the east of the corridor are the Chinese Communist forces and their "special area," still loyal to Moscow...
...Moscow would welcome such a move...
...He is a realist...
...Moscow is already on the Mediterranean Council, and intends to make this mean something...
...Moscow, however, took some compensation in Sinkiang—Chinese Turkestan—a vast territory with considerable oil and other resources...
...In Sinkiang, however, Moscow has staged a strategic "retreat...
...Last month, I pointed out in these columns that China is Stalin's "Ace in the Hole," by which he could bring pressure on the United States and Great Britain...
...Western powers seized its vassal states from Indo-China to Burma, took colonies and concessions and settlements along the China coast, gained special privileges and an element of control over Chinese revenues, but it was not until Japan was armed and built up as an ally of Western powers that China could really be reduced to subjection, with her revenues in foreign control and an "international police force" dominating her ports, cities, and maritime communications, while the Diplomatic Body at Peking exercised the authority of a super-state over the subservient Chinese regime there...
...Britain long held the ascendancy among the powers in China, but for half a century this leadership has been challenged by China's Asiatic neighbors—first by Russia, more recently by Japan...
...As late as a century ago, it was still the greatest and most populous empire in the world...
...Russia In Sinkiang The Russians retreated—much to the disappointment of the powers which were hoping for a Russo-Japanese war...
...But beyond this he wants to re-establish Russian ascendancy in the Balkans and over other "Slavs"—an ascendancy which Russia seemed well on the way to achieving 30 years ago, but which it lost through the First World War and the Russian Revolution...
...If and when Chiang Kai-shek and his regime are forced to abandon Chungking, they can move to Sinkiang, instead of becoming openly a "Govern-ment-in-Exile...
...But this regime was itself hopelessly weak, and it was necessary for Western powers to call on the Japanese .for military cooperation to oust the Nationalist forces of General Tsai Ting-kai from the Shanghai area early in 1932, in order to enable Gen...
...The Black Sea will again be a Russian lake...
...It is still his "Ace in the Hole...
...For the time being, it is "abandoning" Sinkiang...
...He can step in at the most opportune moment, for the most effective advance...
...Moscow still dominates Outer Mongolia, whence assistance can be flown to the Chinese Communists and their fellow-travelers whenever Moscow finds it necessary and feasible...
...When Stalin has secured his position in Europe and western Asia, he can turn his attention to the Far East again...
...The most significant news item of recent weeks, in regard to China, is that the Russians are evacuating Sinkiang...
...For 2,000 years, it was the center of a vast imperial power dominating eastern Asia...
...So far, it has had to divide domination of the country with the United States and Britain, but it is now asserting itself and aiming at its own ascendancy...
...The Dardanelles—which the Russians expected in the First World War, and which were central in the proposals they made to Hitler in the Spring of 1941—will become a free exit for the Russians, with the Turks reduced to subordination or to uncertain "alliance...
...It is a remarkable move, and is directly connected with the diplomatic situation...
...Sun Yat-sen, a "hypo-colony"—a colony of the powers jointly...
...Stalin's first and most vital interest is the establishment of his European boundaries as of May, 1941, with Germany reduced to the rank of a lesser power, if possible a subordinate ally and satellite...
...Behind the scenes, the deals took place which are making history in western Asia and southeastern Europe today...
...For Sinkiang is separated from "China Proper" by great mountains, through which winds the "Kansu corridor"—a narrow roadway hopelessly vulnerable to Soviet air forces, and which can be cut at will...
...The first, which appeared last week, showed how "the war for Asia is a war for empire...
...In Persia also, the British and Americans are making way for increased Russian influence, and the development of Russian ascendancy there...
...Moscow has, in effect, given way to Britain and America in Sinkiang...
...and permitting the Chungking regime of Chiang Kn'-shek to establish its authority there...
...31, Premier Churchill at Quebec made his bitterest jabs at the Soviet Union, and declared outright for the restoration of the Serbian ("Yugoslav") and Greek monarchs to their unpopular thrones...
...The greatest food-producing and industrial areas of the Soviet Union, and some two-thirds of its population in "normal" times, are on the European side of the Ural mountains...
...In 1924-25, its "revolutionary" tactics gained it an unprecedentedly strong position in China, and it took the combined efforts of the rival powers to oust Moscow and to set up and maintain the Chiang Kai-shek regime as their agent in China...
...As Moscow moves out, our consular and other officials move in— together with the officials of Chiang Kai-shek, our Chinese dependent...
...Now, Russia is coming back...
...Stalin The Realist Moscow's reconquest of the Baltic states, and the linking of 100,000,000 Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Slovenes, Bulgarians, Croatians, and other "Slavs" with Moscow in firm alliance, mean Russian domination of eastern and southeastern Europe...
...An alliance with a chastened and weakened German militarism, with German industrial production and German workers and technicians contributing to the reconstruction of the Ukraine, will give Stalin unchallengeable supremacy of the European continent...
...It is Europe, and not the Far East, which is of central and leading importance to Moscow...
...Russia was pushed back into North Manchuria, but subsequently established hegemony over OuteT Mongolia...
...Russia's "peaceful penetration" southward, which brought China into alliance with Muscovy in 1896, was checked by a combination of Britiin with other Western powers and with the Japanese, who supplied cannon-fodder for British and American imperialism against Russia in 1904-05...
...Not only was Moscow included in the deal with Badoglio and the House of Savoy, and in the Mediterranean Council, but the British have now yielded to him in regard to the Balkans, and are perforce "recognizing" and publicizing and to some extent aiding the Communist-led "Partisans" from Croatia and Slovenia through to Greece...
...Further east Moscow again has its "ice-free port" in Persia...
...His Communists still carry on in northwestern China, and peace has been patched up with Chungking...
...China was, in the words of Dr...
Vol. 7 • November 1943 • No. 47
