Inner Mongolia-Chinese, Japanese or Mongol?

Abstract

S UMMARIZING in December number of PACIFIC AFFAIRS recent study, by Mr. Ch'ien Shih-fu, of Basis and Solution of Inner Mongolian Problem, Chen Han-seng points out that original articles mark an important renewal of serious research on problems have been disastrously neglected since great creative period in which Chinese nationalism was led by Sun Yat-sen. I agree; and it is because of importance of his work that I want partly to criticize and partly to develop views put forward by Mr. Ch'ien. He speaks a little too confidently, I think, of ameliorating relations between Chinese and Mongols by promoting spread of agriculture in Inner Mongolia and a better use of its mineral resources, with safeguards against exploitation by Chinese that will give all advantages to Mongol toilers. He is quite right, however, in criticizing Chinese official policy for ignoring those parts of Mongol problem which are most acutely important to Mongols themselves, and for attempting to do no more than keep its Mongol territory under name of Chinese Republic. The heart of problem, he points out, is the real liberation of Mongol people. Or rather there are two problems. There is Mongol problem of liberation, and there is Chinese problem of whether to compete with Japan in conquest and exploitation of Mongols, or to work toward a relation mutually beneficial to Chinese and Mongolstoward Sun Yat-sen's ideal of a Chinese Republic containing such national minorities as Mongols, but not oppressing or exploiting them. Both of these problems are complicated by Japanese conquest of Manchuria, containing eastern half of Inner Mongolia, and threatened conquest of Chahar and Suiyfian, containing rest of Inner Mongolia proper, and of Ninghsia, containing tribes of West-Mongol (016t) origin, whose situation is almost same as that of true Inner Mongolian tribes. For a really clear understanding of both problems it is necessary first to consider relation within Mongol society of princes, lamas and commoners, and then to take up wider questions of relation of Chinese people as a