Convention between Great Britain and China, 27 April 1906

Ratifications exchanged at London, July 23, 1906

        Whereas His Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India, and His Majesty the Emperor of China are sincerely desirous to maintain And perpetuate the relations of friendship and good understanding which now exist between their respective Empires;

        And whereas the refusal of Tibet to recognize the validity of or to carry into full effect the provisions of the Anglo-Chinese Convention of the 17th March, 1890, and Regulations of the 5th December, 1893, place the British Government under the necessity of taking steps to secure their rights and interests under the said Convention and Regulations;

        And whereas a Convention of ten Articles was signed at Lhasa on the 7th September, 1904, on behalf of Great Britain and Tibet, and was ratified by the Viceroy and Governor-General of India on behalf of Great Britain on the 11th November, 1904, a Declaration on behalf of Great Britain modifying its terms under certain conditions being appended thereto;

        His Britannic Majesty and His Majesty the Emperor of China have resolved to conclude a Convention on this subject, and have for this purpose named Plenipotentiaries, that is to say:

        His Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland:

        Sir Ernest Mason Satow, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order, St. Michael and St. George. His said Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of China;

        and His Majesty the Emperor of China.

        His Excellency Tong Shao-yi, His said Majesty's High Commissioner and Plenipotentiary, and a Vice-President of the Board of Foreign Affairs;

        Who, having communicated to each other their respective full powers, and finding them to be in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following Convention in six articles:

        Article I. The Convention concluded on the 7th September, 1904, by Great Britain and Tibet, the texts of which in English and Chinese are attached to the present Convention as an annex, is hereby confirmed, subject to the modification stated in the Declaration appended thereto, and both of the High Contracting Parties engage to take at times such steps as may be necessary to secure the due fulfillment of the terms specified therein.

        Article II. The Government of Great Britain engages not to annex Tibetan territory or to interfere in the administration of Tibet. The Government of China also undertakes not to permit any other foreign State to interfere with the territory or internal administration of Tibet.

        Article III. The concessions which are mentioned in Article IX. (d) of the Convention concluded on the 7th September 1904, by Great Britain and Tibet are denied to any State or to the subject of any State other than China, but it has been arranged with China that at the trade-marts specified in Article II of the aforesaid Convention Great Britain shall be entitled to lay down telegraph lines connecting with India.

        Article IV. The provisions of the Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1890 and Regulations of 1893 shall, subject to the terms of this present Convention and annex thereto, remain in full force.

        Article V. The English and Chinese texts of the present Convention have been carefully compared and found to correspond, but in the event of there being any difference of meaning between them the English text shall be authoritative.

        Article VI. This Convention shall be ratified by the Sovereigns of both countries, and ratifications shall be exchanged at London within three months after the date of signature by the Plenipotentiaries of both Powers.

        In token whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed and sealed this Convention, four copies in English and four in Chinese.

        Done at Peking this twenty-seventh day of April, one thousand nine hundred and six, being the fourth day of the fourth month of the thirty-second year of the reign of Kuang-hsu.

        Ernest Satow,

        Tong Shao-yi

From: Francis Edward Younghusband. India and Tibet. London: John Murray, 1910, 443-444.