Proceedings of the 8th meeting held at Simla, 3 July 1914

July 3rd, 1914

Present:        Sir Henry McMahon, G.C.V.0., K.C.I.E., C.S.I., British Plenipotentiary, and staff.

Mr. Ivan Chen, Chinese Plenipotentiary, and staff.

Kusho Lönchen Shatra, Tibetan Plenipotentiary, and staff.

The Plenipotentiaries took their seats at 11:15 p.m.

        Sir Henry McMahon said that he had been instructed by his Government to call a final meeting of the Conference in order that conclusive action might be taken in regard to the Tibet Convention, which had been under consideration since the 13th October last. Every detail of evidence which could possibly be procured either from Chinese or Tibetan sources had been collected and carefully weighed, and he believed that the text of the Convention, now before the Conference, embodied the only solution of very difficult problem which would be fair and honourable to all three countries concerned. It represented in fact the settled and considered views of His Majesty's Government as to the status and boundaries of Tibet. The Plenipotentiaries were charged with the task of finding some settlement which would put an end to a state of war, and restore peace and prosperity to the inhabitants of a country with which three Governments were all most intimately concerned. He had arranged to delay the opening of the meeting until an unusually late hour in order to afford every opportunity for the receipt of final instructions from their respective Governments, and he sincerely hoped that the Plenipotentiaries were all in a position to proceed to signature on a tripartite basis.

        Mr. Chen said that with reference to the note, which his British Colleague had communicated to him on the 2nd instant, and the interview which Mr. Rose then had with him, he had lost no time in telegraphing to Peking what Mr. Rose had said, and the telegram was sent to the Telegraph Office about 3:30 p.m. To this telegram he had not yet received a reply, and as a rule it took more than 32 hours for a reply to come from Peking. As to his course of action, he had instructions, recently received from his Government, to follow. They were very explicit and enjoined him not to sign the Tripartite Convention. He was, therefore, unable to do what his British Colleague asked him to do. Much as the Chinese Government regretted their inability to attach their signatures to the convention, they had, however, no alternative but to refrain from signing, since it had not been found possible to arrive at an agreement among the parties concerned in regard to the proposal which the Chinese Government recently submitted to the British Government as to the only way of finding a solution for the boundary question at issue.

        Sir Henry McMahon then asked the Lönchen Shatra whether he was in a position to conclude the Agreement.

        The Lönchen replied that he had telegraphed to Lhasa after the meeting of the Conference on the 27th April, and his instructions were that, as he had accepted the convention, he should sign it. His Government did not consider the Convention satisfactory from their point of view, but as it had been accepted there was no alternative but to sign. He was, therefore, prepared to conclude the Agreement.

        Sir Henry McMahon said he was also empowered to take conclusive action, and he would proceed to do so in concert with his Tibetan Colleague. Early notice of this meeting and of its conclusive nature had been communicated to the Chinese Government in London and, Peking and, if the Chinese Representative was really precluded by his instructions from signing, he would formally conclude the convention, in the form in which it had been communicated to the Chinese Government at Peking, in conjunction with the Lönchen. By this act the document would be placed beyond the limits of discussion, and no alteration would hereafter be possible. It would be necessary, moreover, to sign an additional Declaration safeguarding the interests of Great Britain and Tibet. To this Declaration the British and Tibetan Plenipotentiaries alone would be parties as representatives of their respective Governments.

        Mr. Chen here said that he was further instructed by his Government to declare before the Conference that the Chinese Government would not recognise any treaty or similar document that might now or hereafter be signed between Great Britain and Tibet.

        Sir Henry McMahon said that he took note of this.

        The Lönchen Shatra said that the Chinese and Tibetans had for years lived together like the members of the same family, but of late years there had been disagreements, and the British Government had very kindly undertaken to act as the mediator, and to bring the disputes to a satisfactory settlement. It would have been well if the efforts of the British Government had been successful in ensuring a permanent peace. He deeply regretted that China was unable to sign the Convention, but he felt bound to take steps to defend the interests of his own country.

        Sir Henry McMahon asked Mr. Chen whether he would care to remain in the Conference chamber whilst the documents were being signed, or retire.

        Mr. Chen replied that, if his presence would not be interpreted as recognition on his part of the conclusion of an agreement between Great Britain and Tibet independently of China, he had no special desire to leave the conference chamber. He, however, retired shortly afterwards.

        Sir Henry McMahon and the Lönchen then concluded an agreement, based on the terms of the Tripartite Convention, but providing special safeguards for the interests of Great Britain and Tibet in the event of the Chinese continuing to withhold its adherence.

        Mr. Chen returned to the Conference chamber and took his seat at the table at this point.

        Sir Henry McMahon said that it was with feelings of the deepest regret and disappointment that he witnessed the abstention of their Chinese Colleague from participation in the conclusion of the convention, to which they had all devoted so much care and thought during the last nine months. He was convinced that the terms of the Tripartite convention represented a settlement which was most favourable to the Republic of China, and their failure to participate was much to be regretted, The Agreements now on the table were conclusive and unalterable. His Tibetan Colleague and he proposed to leave India early next week and to convey them to their respective Governments. It only remained to declare the meeting and the Tripartite Conference finally closed. Before doing so, however, he desired to make one concluding remark, with which the Lönchen associated himself. The work of the Conference had been arduous and trying for them all, but in spite of the fact that their Chinese Colleague had found it necessary to maintain an attitude of opposition and to meet their proposals in an uncompromising spirit, his courtesy throughout had been unfailing, and their personal relations had been unimpaired. They had looked forward with real pleasure to the conclusion of an agreement in which he would have had a part, and which he would have been able to carry back to his Government as the fruit of his labour in India. They believed that the Agreement would have been of honourable advantage to his country, and that it would have forged a new link of confidence and good accord between the Government of China and the Governments of Great Britain and Tibet. For the moment that hope appeared to have failed, but they were unwilling to abandon it entirely until the moment of separation. Should their Chinese Colleague, be in a position to sign the convention, and, should he express a desire to re-assemble this meeting for that specific purpose before their departure, they would be willing to meet him once more on the 6th July.

        Mr. Chen said that he would at once inform his Government by telegraph of what had taken place and of Sir Henry's remarks. As regards the reassembling of the meeting he had nothing to say but, if he received any orders from his Government, he would at once communicate with his colleagues. He desired to express his grateful thanks for the great kindness and hospitality extended to him by the British Government and Sir Henry McMahon. His thanks were also due for much kindness to Mr. Bell and Mr. Rose, especially to the latter, for many personal services rendered. He also desired to thank Mr. Waugh, the Secretary of the Conference, for the creditable way in which he had performed his duties.

        Sir Henry McMahon thanked Mr. Chen for his kind remarks which he would have great pleasure in placing on record.

        The Lönchen Shatra said that his orders were to return at once to Lhasa, but he would stay on a few days more in the hope that his Chinese Colleague would sign the Convention.

        The three Plenipotentiaries then rose from the table and the Chinese Representative, accompanied by his staff, retired from the Conference chamber.

           T.G.B. Waugh,  

           Acting Secretary to the Conference

 H. McMahon,

           British Plenipotentiary

From: The Boundary Question Between China and Tibet: A Valuable Record of the Tripartite Conference between China, Britain, and Tibet Held in India, 1913-1914. Peking: 1940, 145-150.