A Note from Mr. Lu-Tseng-hsiang, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to the Foreign Ministers at Peking from the 14th day, 8th month, 1st year (of the Republic) (August 14, 1912)

The Revised Import Tariff of the twenty-eighth year of Kuang-Hsü (1902) has, up to the present, already reached the ten years (limit).

It is agreed in the Commercial Treaty (1902) between China and Great Britain (1) that if a revision of the said Tariff be wanted, a notification (to this effect) must be made within six months after the end of (the first) ten years.

Again, the rate of this Tariff was raised, in accordance with the International Protocol of 1901, to an effective 5% “ad valorem” whose basis of valuation was taken from the mean value of the merchandise at the moment of its debarkation in the three years of 1897. 1898 and 1899.

Now ten years have elapsed and in view of the fluctuations in values of the various kinds of merchandise, it should be revised in due time so as to make it conformable to the original agreement of an effective 5% “ad valorem”.

Declaring now to the Ministers of the signatory Powers to the aforesaid Tariff at Peking the intention of China to revise it,

I hope Your Excellency will take notice (of this declaration) and favor me with a reply.