Martin Brice's study follows permit systems, blockades, intimidation, and incidents used to push British merchants out of Chinese trade while Japan's war consumed more resources than it gained. Britain wanted to support Chinese resistance and protect its shipping without starting another major war while Germany and Italy threatened nearer waters. The quoted passage also traces tentative Anglo-American cooperation, aid to China, and the political suspicion that joint action might serve British imperial interests. The book's 1937 capital-ship table shows that Italy's modernized battleships imposed a more serious immediate allocation problem than Germany's small surface fleet. The volume joins diplomacy, trade, naval presence, and public opinion instead of presenting the China Station in isolation.
Chapter · 1:36:38-1:47:30
The Royal Navy and the Sino-Japanese Incident, 1937-41
A book review explores Britain's naval position in China as Japanese pressure on shipping and trade collided with commitments in Europe and the Mediterranean.