CHINA: Next: Hopei

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Two autonomous puppet states carved from Chinese territory and under the tutelage of Japan are Manchukuo, and the more recent "Mongokuo" in outer Chahar Province (TIME, March 29). Eastern Hopei Province, almost adjoining Peiping, is equally but less formally under Japanese control, has as its executive a toothy Chinese puppet named Yin Ju-keng (TIME, May 11 et ante). Puppet Yin avoids interviewers, has a hearty dislike of being photographed with his chunky Japanese military advisers, but last week a snowstorm kept him overnight in the port of Tientsin and Correspondent A. T. Steele of the New York Times, visiting Yin's capital of Tungchow, found a Yin subordinate, plump and beaming. Chung Tun-fu, in a state of garrulity almost unheard of among Chinese politicos of any complexion. Plump Chung professes to be a great-nephew of Manchukuo's Premier General Chang Ching-hui. Blabbed he:

"This is a revolutionary government. Its purpose is to overthrow the Nan king Government by political means. We welcome and hope for co-operation from other regimes in China, but this must be based on friendship with our good neighbors, Japan and Manchukuo."

Further investigation proved that Hopei's finances are backed by the Japanese Bank of Korea, that it already sends a virtual Ambassador to Manchukuo, will shortly send another to Tokyo.