A British View of the Far East

T IS generally accepted that the cease-fire in Korea marked the opening of a new phase in Far Eastern affairs. Since then, however, progress towards a reasonably secure peace in Korea, and a general political settlement has been very slow. Clear-cut solutions for the most immediate problems of Korea and Indochina are difficult to envisage. Even now, with the Geneva Conference in progress at the time of writing, it is hard to foresee what concessions might be asked and given on either side which would end the present stalemate. An examination of the evolution of the attitude of the different powers during the last two years or so may help to throw light on this question. Since 1950 much of the attention of Western observers has been concentrated upon the conflict of views between the United States and the United Kingdom about relations with China. This has been important because it is due to a basic difference between the attitudes of the two countries to Asian matters. The divergence of policy between the two delegations at numerous meetings of the United Nations, the arguments to which it gave rise in the preparation of the Japanese Peace Treaty and even more the loss of confidence between the two countries during the latter stages of General MacArthur's Far Eastern Command, have made it difficult for the Western powers to pursue a wholly consistent policy and have sometimes even seemed likely to endanger AngloAmerican cooperation. The new crisis in Indochina has revived the danger. As things have turned out, however, the gap between the two points of view has not so far had a catastrophic effect upon the alliance, partly because statesmen on both sides of the Atlantic have been determined that it should not do so, but mainly because the predominance of American power in the Far East has been sufficient to ensure that the American attitude to China prevailed. Britain and other countries might protest and might on numerous occasions secure certain modifications of American policy, but they have never been in a position to

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