Isolate China from Russia
From Our Russian Correspondent Japanese military tactics in China seem now to be based on a gigantic scheme to isolate China from Russia.
The new Japanese coup, whereby a small Japanese force has established itself on the South bank of the Yellow River, appears to be the beginning of an offensive against Hankow.
But this movement would necessitate a display of very large forces, and therefore greatly endanger Japanese lines of communication. Because of this it is thought that as soon as they have firmly established themselves at the important railway junction of Cheng-Chow, twenty-five miles Cast of Szeshui, the Japanese will move west to occupy Sianfu, capital of Shensi, terminus of the Lunghai railway line.
The occupation of this important strategic point would definitely cut off China from the great Western caravan route to Eastern Turkestan and Soviet Russia, thus preventing any supplies from reaching China overland.
Japan has practically isolated China from the sea. The occupation of Canton and other sea ports is, therefore, of greater importance for Japan than an adventure in the direction of Hankow.
On the Russian Frontier Having secured Northern China and all the raw materials she needs together with a population of 200 million people as consumers for Japanese goods, Japan will be kept busy for a considerable time organising these new territories. The menace of Soviet Russia is not overlooked, and Manchukuo is now a strongly fortified province with a network of railways and protected by an army of 400,000 men as against 350,000 of the Soviet Marshal Blucher.
To counteract the Red propaganda of the Third International a " Yellow International" is actively advocating a PanMongolian union not only in Inner and Outer Mongolia, but even in the Buriat territory of the U.S.S.R.