ARTICLE VI The Contracting Powers, other than China, agree fully to respect China's rights as a neutral in time of war to which China is not a party; and China declares that when she is a neutral she will observe the obligations of neutrality. ARTICLE VII The Contracting Powers agree that, whenever a situation arises which in the opinion of any one of them involves the application of the stipulations of the present Treaty, and renders desirable discussion of such application, there shall be full and frank communication between the Contracting Powers concerned. i ARTICLE VIII Powers not signatory to the present Treaty, which have Governments recognized by the Signatory Powers and which have treaty relations with China, shall be invited to adhere to the present Treaty. To this end the Government of the United States will make the necessary communications to nonsignatory Powers and will inform the Contracting Powers of the replies received. Adherence by any Power shall become effective on receipt of notice thereof by the Government of the United States. ARTICLE IX The present Treaty shall be ratified by the Contracting Powers in accordance with their respective constitutional methods and shall take effect on the date of the deposit of all the ratifications, which shall take place at Washington as soon as possible. The Government of the United States will transmit to the other Contracting Powers a certified copy of the procès-verbal of the deposit of ratifications. The present Treaty, of which the French and English texts are both authentic, shall remain deposited in the archives of the Government of the United States, and duly certified copies thereof shall be transmitted by that Government to the other Contracting Powers. In faith whereof the above-named Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Treaty. Done at the City of Washington, the Sixth day of February, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty-Two. The United States of America, Belgium, the British Empire, China, France, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands and Portugal: With a view to increasing the revenues of the Chinese Government, have resolved to conclude a Treaty relating to the revision of the Chinese customs tariff and cognate matters, and to that end have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries: The President of the United States of America: Charles Evans Hughes, Henry Cabot Lodge, Oscar W. Underwood, Elihu Root, citizens of the United States; His Majesty the King of the Belgians: Baron de Cartier de Marchienne, Commander of the Order of His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India: And The Right Honourable Arthur James Balfour, O. M., M. P., The Right Honourable Baron Lee of Fareham, G. B. E., The Right Honourable Sir Auckland Campbell Geddes, for the Dominion of Canada: The Right Honourable Sir Robert Laird Borden, G. C. M. G., for the Commonwealth of Australia: Senator the Right Honourable George Foster Pearce, Minister for Home and Territories; for the Dominion of New Zealand: The Honourable Sir John William Salmond, K. C., Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand; for the Union of South Africa: The Right Honourable Arthur James Balfour, O. M., M. P.; for India: The Right Honourable Valingman Sankaranarayana Srinivasa The President of the Republic of China: Mr. Sao-Ke Alfred Sze, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Mr. V. K. Wellington Koo, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Mr. Chung-Hui Wang, former Minister of Justice; The President of the French Republic: Mr. Albert Sarraut, Deputy, Minister of the Colonies; Mr. Jules J. Jusserand, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America, Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour; His Majesty the King of Italy: The Honourable Carlo Schanzer, Senator of the Kingdom; The Honourable Vittorio Rolandi Ricci, Senator of the Kingdom. His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washington; The Honourable Luigi Albertini, Senator of the Kingdom; His Majesty the Emperor of Japan: Baron Tomosaburo Kato, Minister for the Navy, Junii, a mem- Mr. Masanao Hanihara, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Her Majesty the Queen of The Netherlands: Jonkheer Frans Beelaerts van Blokland, Her Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary; Jonkheer Willem Hendrik de Beaufort, Minister Plenipotentiary, Chargé d'Affaires at Washington; The President of the Portuguese Republic: Mr. José Francisco de Horta Machado da Franca, Viscount Mr. Ernesto Julio de Carvalho e Vasconcellos, Captain of the Who, having communicated to each other their full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed as follows: ARTICLE I The representatives of the Contracting Powers having adopted, on the fourth day of February, 1922, in the City of Washington, a Resolution, which is appended as an Annex to this Article, with respect to the revision of Chinese Customs duties, for the purpose of making such duties equivalent to an effective 5 per centum ad valorem, in accordance with existing treaties concluded by China with other nations, the Contracting Powers hereby confirm the said Resolution and undertake to accept the tariff rates fixed as a result of such revision. The said tariff rates shall become effective as soon as possible but not earlier than two months after publication thereof. ANNEX With a view to providing additional revenue to meet the needs of the Chinese Government, the Powers represented at this Conference, namely the United States of America, Belgium, the British Empire, China, France, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, and Portugal, agree: That the customs schedule of duties on imports into China adopted by the Tariff Revision Commission at Shanghai on December 19, 1918, shall forthwith be revised so that the rates of duty shall be equivalent to 5 per cent effective, as provided for in the several commercial treaties to which China is a party. A Revision Commission shall meet at Shanghai, at the earliest practicable date, to effect this revision forthwith and on the general lines of the last revision. This Commission shall be composed of representatives of the Powers above named and of representatives of any additional Powers having Governments at present recognized by the Powers represented at this Conference and who have treaties with China providing for a tariff on imports and exports not to exceed 5 per cent ad valorem and who desire to participate therein. The revision shall proceed as rapidly as possible with a view to its completion within four months from the date of the adoption of this Resolution by the Conference on the Limitation of Armament and Pacific and Far Eastern Questions. |