711.9312 A/2
The Secretary of State to the Chinese Minister (Sze)
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith, for the consideration of your Government and as a basis for negotiation, the draft of a treaty of arbitration between the Government of the United States and the National Government of the Republic of China.24
The proposed treaty is identical in effect with treaties of arbitration which were signed at Washington on February 2 [6] and May 5, 1928, by representatives of the United States and of France and Germany, respectively,25 and with similar treaties which have recently been concluded between the United States and other countries. It resembles in some respects the arbitration treaty concluded between the United States and many countries, including China, beginning in 1908,26 but represents, in the opinion of this Government, a definite [Page 493] advance over the earlier formula. Within the past twelve months such treaties have been proposed to thirty-two countries and signed with eleven: Albania, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden, in addition to the two already mentioned. Negotiations with the countries with which the treaties have not already been signed are in progress.
You will recall that the conciliation treaty between the United States and China, concluded September 15, 1914,27 is still in force. Similar conciliation treaties have been offered to twenty-two countries during the past twelve months, of which seven, namely, Albania, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania and Poland have been signed. The negotiations in respect of these treaties with the countries with which they have not already been signed are also in progress.
I feel that the Governments of the United States and China have an opportunity, by adopting a treaty such as the one suggested herein, not only to promote further the friendly relations existing between the peoples of the two countries, but also to advance materially the cause of the pacific settlement of international disputes. If your Government concurs in this view and is prepared to negotiate a treaty along the lines of the draft transmitted herewith, I shall be glad to enter at once upon such discussion as may be necessary.
Accept [etc.]
- Not printed. For treaty as signed at Washington, June 27, 1930, see Department of State Treaty Series No. 857.↩
- Post, pp. 816 and 867.↩
- For text of treaty with China, signed Oct. 8, 1908, see Foreign Relations, 1909, p. 93.↩
- Foreign Relations, 1915, p. 41.↩