6.
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, with a view to assisting China, His Majesty's Government propose to give any guarantee for the purchase of United Kingdom goods by the Chinese Government on the lines of agreements made between His Majesty's Government and other foreign Governments?
As stated by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary on 6th March, and by my right hon. Friend the Secretary to the Department of Overseas Trade on 14th July in the Debate on the Overseas Trade Guarantees Bill, a proposal to give guarantees for the benefit of British manufacturers in respect of exports to China has been under negotiation for some time. Certain technical and legal questions are still under consideration.
Can the right hon. Gentleman say when he expects to be able to make a statement on this matter?
I cannot say when. There are these technical and legal questions, the settlement of some of which depends on the answers received from China.
Is it not the fact that the question is of great importance to the Chinese Government because of the very limited purchases they have been able to make during the last 18 months; and is it not of great importance that this matter should be expedited?
As I have said, the settlement of some of the questions at least depends on the answers received from them.
13.
asked the President of the Board of Trade the value of the munitions, non-ferrous metals, rubber, and oil imported by China in the last two years, and the sources of supply?
As the answer involves a tabular statement, I will, with my hon. and gallant Friend's permission, circulate it in the Official Report.
Is it not a fact that the bulk of these imports come from the axis Powers?
My hon. and gallant Friend will see a long list of figures. He can make his own deductions.
Following is the statement:
| Table showing the value of non-ferrous metals, rubber and mineral oils imported into China in the years 1937 and 1938, distinguishing the principal sources of supply, so far as specified in the Official Chinese Trade Returns. | |||||||||
| Commodity and Country. | 1937 | 1938. | |||||||
Non-ferrous Metals: | Thousand Gold Units. | Thousand Gold Units. | |||||||
| Aluminium: Ingots, slabs, grains, sheets and plates— | |||||||||
| Total | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | 1,120 | 1,010 |
| Of which from: | |||||||||
| Canada | … | … | … | … | … | … | 380 | 417 | |
| Germany | … | … | … | … | … | … | 281 | 110 | |
| Switzerland | … | … | … | … | … | 106 | 386 | ||
| Norway | … | … | … | … | … | … | 258 | 79 | |
| Brass and Yellow metal: Ingots, bars, rods, sheets, plates, tubes and scrap— | |||||||||
| Total | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | 1,278 | 466 |
| Of which from: | |||||||||
| Germany | … | … | … | … | … | … | 830 | 371 | |
| Japan | … | … | … | … | … | … | 330 | 19 | |
| Copper: Ingots, slabs, bars, rods, sheets, plates, tubes and; scrap— | |||||||||
| Total | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | 2,332 | 592 |
| Of which from: | |||||||||
| United States | … | … | … | … | … | 1,565 | 249 | ||
| Germany | … | … | … | … | … | … | 350 | 241 | |
| Japan | … | … | … | … | … | … | 337 | 80 | |
| Lead: Pigs, bars, sheets, pipes and scrap— | |||||||||
| Total | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | 633 | 315 |
| Of which from: | |||||||||
| Canada | … | … | … | … | … | … | 397 | 247 | |
| Australia | … | … | … | … | … | … | 50 | 8 | |
| Japan | … | … | … | … | … | … | 47 | 15 | |
| United Kingdom | … | … | … | … | … | 31 | 16 | ||
| Tin: Ingots and slabs— | |||||||||
| Total | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | 117 | 226 |
| Of which from: | |||||||||
| British Malaya | … | … | … | … | … | 98 | 117 | ||
| Hong Kong | … | … | … | … | … | 7 | 32 | ||
| United Kingdom | … | … | … | … | … | 10 | 24 | ||
| Zinc: Powder, spelter, sheets and plates— | |||||||||
| Total | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | 1,585 | 372 |
| Of which from: | |||||||||
| Belgium | … | … | … | … | … | … | 824 | 234 | |
| Canada | … | … | … | … | … | … | 443 | 89 | |
| Nickel: | |||||||||
| Total | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | 101 | 25 |
| Of which from: | |||||||||
| United Kingdom | … | … | … | … | … | 43 | 21 | ||
| Canada | … | … | … | … | … | … | 27 | — | |
| Japan | … | … | … | … | … | … | 11 | (a) | |
India-rubber, crude, old or waste, and Gutta Percha, Crude— | |||||||||
| Total | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | 4,066 | 1,992 |
| Of which from: | |||||||||
| Netherlands East Indies | … | … | … | … | … | 1,812 | 568 | ||
| British Malaya | … | … | … | … | … | 1,357 | 737 | ||
| United States | … | … | … | … | … | 204 | 310 | ||
| French Indo-China | … | … | … | … | 422 | 123 | |||
Mineral Oils— | |||||||||
| Total | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | 44,040 | 30,442 |
| Of which from: | |||||||||
| Netherlands East Indies | … | … | … | … | 25,458 | 12,475 | |||
| United States | … | … | … | … | … | 16,592 | 16,123 | ||
| (a) Less than 500 gold units. | |||||||||
| Particulars of imports of munitions are not available, such imports being excluded from the Official Trade Returns. | |||||||||