The China White Paper 1949(VIII)

In the China White Paper, the American claimed that beginning early 1941, it had begun informal dialogue with Japan for the purpose of settling problems in Asia peacefully. One of the proposal put forward by the US was that all Japanese forces in China be withdrawn. Japan, on the other hand wanted recognition from the US of Japanese hegemony in the Far East.1 According to the White Paper, "the US refusal to stop its support of China and the unwillingness of the US to compromise . . . were among the immediate motivations of the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941".2 After Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, the US and China were on the same side against Japan, American assistance to China increased dramatically. One kind of American aid to China was given under the Lend-Lease Program (1941-43). One of its objective was to improve transportation over the Burma Road, one way of helping was to provide trucks, spare parts, and motor fuel etc. However, with the fall of Burma and the occupation of southern part of the Burma Road by Japan in early 1942, air transport became the alternative way to deliver war supplies to China. Another transportation project by the US was the construction of the Ledo Road from Assam in India across upper Burma to China (later called the Stilwell Road and was completed by early 1945).3

On October 9, 1942, for the purpose of showing the intention to treat China as an equal among the Major Powers fighting against Japan, and to strengthen the image of the Chinese Government under Chiang Kai-shek, the US started talks with China to relinquish American extraterritorial rights in China.4 (to be continued)

Notes:

1.United States, Department of State. The China White Paper-August 1949. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1967, page 25.
2. Ibid., page 26.
3. Ibid., page 28.
4. Ibid., page 34.