PART I -The 'Boxer' Indemnities

• Author: Chamberlam, Austen
• Pages: 42

PART I -THE 'BOXER' INDEMNITIES

(i) HISToRICAL INTRODUCTION The total amount of the Indemnty imposed on China by the Final Protocol, signed by the Chinese plempotentianes and by the accredited representatives of eleven foreign Powers on the 7th September, 1901, amounted to 450 million taels. This amount, which was intended to cover the actual military expenses incurred by the Powers m China m 1900, and the claims of their subjects who had suffered loss or damage from 'Boxer' outrages, was to be paid in instalments, with interest at the rate of 4 per cent per annum, the instalments to be spread over a period of forty years The total sum which China had to pay m respect of interest and amortisation of princpal, under the scheme agreed upon by the Powers and accepted by the Chinese Government, amounted to 982,238,150 taels, a sum which (taking the Haikwan tael at 8s ) is equivalent to ~147,385,722 The following table, which has been compiled by the Inspector-General of Chinese Customs, shows the percentages and amounts due to each of the participating countries

Protocol Stipulations

Country

Protoc Percent Of Tot Indemnn

ol Apportionment age Amount A l. of I ity Principal

lount Of iterest

Total of Principal and Interest

Protocol Rate of Conversion

Total Amount Due, ]Principal and Interest, in Currency of Payment

Russia Germany France Great Britain Japan United States of Ammilca,

Italy Belguiu Aniria-Hungary fthe Netherlands International claims Spain Portugal Sweden and Norway

28

20

15

11 - 7

7

S I

97136

01567

75072

24901

73180

31979

91489

8854

88976

17380

03326

08007

02050

01396

Hk taels 130,371,120

90,070,515

70 878,240

50,620,545

34,793,100

32,939,065

26,617,005

8,484,345

4,003,920

782,100

149,070

135,415

92,250

62,820

Hk taels 154,196,630

108,531,031.

83,83,1,340

59,87J,522

41,151,689

38,958,714

41,481,301

10,051,871

4,735,642

925,029

177,022

160,044

109,108

74,300

49

72

74

72

28

88

11

30

16

91

41

01

82

45

Hk taels 284,507,750 49

196,601,540 72

154,709,580 '74

110,492,067 72

75 944,689 28

71,897,769 88

58,098,308 11

18,519,210 30

8,739,562 16

1,707,129 91

326,692 41

295,359 01

201,358 82

137,120 45

1 41

3 05

3 15

38

1 40

0 74

3 75

3 75

3 59

1 79

3s 1 75

3*

2 Gi roubles 401,809,603 69 - M 600,617,725 23 pis 580,100,927 78

SC 16,573,810 3. 2d 7 Yen 106,854,177 82

2 C $ 53,348,145 25

Fra 217,88,647 91

Frs 09,447,061 13

5 Kr 31,418,725 97

6 Fl 3,006,005 32

49,003 17s, 3

Frs 1,107,596 29 ~ 30,203 16s 6c1

A20,56 Is 4d

ia.

co

1000000

450,000,000 582,238,150 00

982,238,150 00

From the foregoing table it aill be seen that the Brtish share of the so-called Boxei Indemnity (principal and interest) amounted to ~16 579 810 which is about 11~ per cent of the total sum payable by China to all the Powers combined In connection with these figures it is important to note that the amount fixed upon as due from China to Great Britain was arrved at after every claim submitted by British subjects for losses sustained had been subjected to a ver rigid scrutiny and most careful revision by the Briltsh Government Not only had the claims as originally passed, been cut down so drastically as to cause some legitlmate grumbling on the part of those who had suffered loss, but the amounts were still further reduced m order to meet a difficulty which had arisen from the fact that the total claims, finally presented by the various Powers concerned were m excess of the total amount of the Indemnity which China had agreed to pat This Indemnmt' had been fixed by the Final Proto ol at 450 million taels, but when the Powers presented their seveial claims It was found that the satisfaction of these claims would necessitate the payment of a further sum of 10,296,298 taels As China could not be called upon to make good this dlscrepancy it ad8 necessary for the Powers to come to a mutual agreement with regard to the reduction of their claims, so that m the aggregate they should not exceed the amount of the Indemnity already provided for in the protocol There was a good deal of discussion among the Powers' representatives, as to how this reduction should be effected The proposal favoured by the majority that the redu tion should be pro rata for all the Powers was at first opposed by the British Minister on the ground that a pro ratd reduction would cut down the British percentage from 18- per cent to 11 per cent of the total amount of the Indemnity, although Great Britaim unhke some other Powers) had already reduced and cut down her claims and was demanding nothing from the Indemniti but a reimbursement of actual expenses and payments which...