500.A 4e/705

The Secretary of State to the Belgian Ambassador (De Cartier)

Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency’s note of March 23, 1927, which contained an Aide-Mémoire on the subject of the participation of the representatives of the Belgian Government in the Special Customs Conference that was convened at Peking on October 26, 1925.

In reply I have the honor to state that this Government has taken due note of Your Excellency’s statements concerning the conflicting positions of the Belgian and Chinese Governments in regard to this matter. The Powers other than China signatory to the Treaty of February 6, 1922, concerning the Chinese Customs Tariff seem to be in agreement that there are at the present time no delegates of the Chinese Government qualified to represent China at the Conference, in consequence of which the Conference is not in session. The question of the constitution of the Conference seems, therefore, at the moment not to demand solution in agreement with the Chinese Government.

Accept [etc.]

Frank B. Kellogg