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Show CHINA SEVERS DIPLOMATIC ' I RELATIONS WITH GERMANY ? I AND INTERNS THEIR SHIPS i I i J Break Expected for Weeks Feeling Against Ber- I lin Government Runs High Scores of Lives Lost in U-Boat Operations Kaiser's Boxer Order Remembered With Bitterness. I WASHINGTON, March 14 China' has severed diplomatic relations with! Germany, taken possession of all Ger-j man merchant ships in Shanghai,' about six in number, placed their crews on shore under guard and placed armed guards on the vessels. Advices to the navy department today from the senior officer in Chinese waters wat-ers gave no further details. China's severance of relations has been expected, here for weeks. The action of the Lnlted States in breaking break-ing relations was received with acclamation accla-mation by Chinese officials and press, particularly young China. Feeling against Germany has run high, not only because scores of Chinese on the way to Europe have lost their lives through German submarine operations, j but from memory of the kaiser's or-i or-i der to his Boxer punitive force to i make the word German dreaded in China for a century and the seizure I of the whole province of Shantung for the murder of two missionaries. WASHINGTON. March 14. American Ameri-can Minister Reinsch at Peking today reported to the state department that China had severed diplomatic relations rela-tions with Germany and that the German Ger-man minister had been handed his passports. I Seizure of the German ships may be I taken by Germany a,s an act of war, as in the case of Portugal. China's action may be followed by ! seizure of German property in China which is irery extensive. In addition to all the concessions held by Ger-I Ger-I many in Chinese cities which is presumed pre-sumed will be seized as quasi-public j property, there are extensive private German holdings in China. Latest figures fig-ures show that there are about three i thousand German civilians scattered throughout tne republic, but it is not known whether they will be interned. China's action is expected to have far-reaching etfect on Far Eastern history, his-tory, as it aligns her with Japan and the other entente powers. German trade, which before the war had become be-come the most dancerous competitor to British and Japanese business in I China, amounted to about 20 per cent of Japan's trade and offered a tempt- ing prize for the latter. This phase of the commercial situation was widely discussed at the Paris conference, w-hen plans to drive Germany out of the Far Eastern market were adopted. I The immediate effect of China's sev-eranee sev-eranee of relations probably will be a greatly increased output of munitions ! ! for Russia. China is Japan's source j of iron and has provided much of the raw material on which the latter's immense im-mense munition trade has been built ! up, China also has six large arsenals, wbich, with her mines, will add large resources against Germany . China has already sent 100.000 cool'es to France and Russia and can increase the number almost without A limit. So far the men have gone under private auspices as laboreis. Apparently Appar-ently as yet China has not committed her.-elf to accept the allies' invitation - to nter the war as an active partici- ! f" B! Immediately after America's sever- I ance of relations with Germany. Chin i began to discuss similar action, and during the negotiations the French and j Belgian legations in China invited her on behalf of the entente to declare j war on Germany in return for a re-I re-I mission of the Boxer indemnity and permission to increase her customs taxes. Diplomatic sources in Washing- ton. however, said the entente prom- ised merely to postponement of the Boxer indemnity, not its remission, on March 4 the cabinet definitely voted to sever relations, but Presi- dent Li Yuan Hung refused to accede Jon the ground that such power was his I alone. The cabinet resigned, with- l drew to Tien Tsin and finally returned when the president agreed to break. On March 10 the president and his 11 cabinet appeared before the house and asked approval of a severance of re- lations, which was granted by a vote of 4J1 to 87. The senate later agreed. Meanwhile the entente invitation to , j enter the war remains in abeyance, I apparently pending a better agree- ment as to terms. Recent dispatches from Peking have spoken in high terms of the part American Minister Reinsch has taken in the steps leading up to China's ac- tion. |