Hebei–Chahar Political Council

[1] In 1935, under Japanese pressure, China signed the He-Umezu Agreement, which forbade the Kuomintang from conducting any party operations in Hebei, thus obliging the removal of all central government influence from the PAC and BMC, and both Ho and Huang returned to the capital.

In its place, the Japanese, under the direction of Doihara Kenji began a movement to promote autonomy for the five northern provinces of Hebei, Chahar, Shanxi, Shandong and Suiyuan.

Retired politicians from the Beiyang government such as Cao Kun, Wu Peifu (formerly of the Zhili clique) and Duan Qirui (formerly of the Anhui clique) were also targeted to serve as potential leaders, and by late autumn the autonomy movement had begun amassing the semblance of a popular base in Beiping (present-day Beijing), Tianjin and rural Hebei, culminating in the creation of the Japanese-backed East Hebei Autonomous Council in November.

The latter initially vehemently denied any personal involvement in Japanese plans for the region, and it was only on 19 November 1935, after Doihara presented Song with an ultimatum to declare autonomy or face military reprisal that did he admit to being the target of Japanese overtures, telling Chiang Kai-shek that: We have had no choice but to begin exploratory discussions with [the Japanese], while supporting the centralized system and remaining within the following limits: non-intervention in China’s domestic politics, non-infringement of China’s territory, equality and mutual amity....In December 1935, seeking to re-establish control over the northern provinces, Nanjing resolved to dissolve the BMC, establishing the Hebei-Chahar Political Council in its place, which reported directly to Wang Jingwei's Executive Yuan.

Nonetheless, discussions with the Japanese continued: in spring 1936, the North China Garrison Army proposed joint political and military action to "prevent the spread of communism" in the region, with an agreement reportedly concluded by 30 March.