SINO-SOVIET POSTAL COVENTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330732-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 26, 2011
• Sequence Number: 732
• Publication Date: August 16, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL COUFWE TIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
, INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY China; USSR
SUBJECT Economic - Mail, postal exchange
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspaper
WHERE
PUBLISHED Hong Kong
DATE
PUBLISHED 2 Mar 1950
LANGUAGE Chinese
TMIN OOCY^RNT INFORMATION APRrnNM THE NATIONAL O TO
OF 7K1 II1110 Rung 01115 Till ^UNIMM OF UROMMR ACT ACT MO
Y. S.. C.. NI ANO !S. AS 1. ITS TRANSMISSION OA THIS RRYIIATION
'SO? ITS OOMTSN. IN ANY NAM 090 TO AN UNAUYMIS17RO NNRSOO IS VMO?
MISITSO MY LAM. RSMOOUOnON Of TWIN NORM 16 nOMISITNO.
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1950
DATE DIST. /6 Aug 1950
NO. OF PAGES to
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
SINO-SOVIET POSTAL CONVENTION
Peiping, 28 February 1950, (Hsin-hua) -- China and the USSR on 7 February
1950 signed a postal convention concerning the exchange and transmission of
ordinary, registered, and insured mail and packages via land, sea, and air
routes. The full text of the convention is as follows.
Article 1
1. The People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Re-
publics have made the following agreement concerning the exchange and trans-
mission between their territories of ordinary and registered mail, ordinary
and insured valuation packages and letters.
2. This exchange of mail includes land, sea, and aerial routes. The
actual postal routes are those mutually agreed upon in the treaty by both par-
ties. In case of change, mutual notice should be given.
Article 2.
1. Through mail and packages and their pertinent documents should be
placed in mail bags. Bags for this purpose should be durable, free from h6les,
and securely closed. When they have been emptied they should be returned by
the first mail to the postal exchange point and a record made of the fact.
Article 3
1. Mail matter from or destined to countries other than the two contract-
ing parties shall be limited to (only such countries as have postal agreements
with the People's Republic of China And the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
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CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL
2. If mail matter of any other countries is handled by either of the two
contracting parties, the other party shall be informed of the names of such
countries.
Article 4
The date of beginning and ending the exchange of mail, the days and hours
for the exchange of mail, and the hours for the exchange of mail on the bor-
ders of the two signatories shall be arranged by conferences between the cen-
tral postal authorities of the two countries.
Article 5
Mail matter includes letters, single and double post cards, trade con-
tracts, all kinds of printed matter (including literature for the blind), and
goods samples.
Article 6
1. The two signatory countries shall establish the following offices for
the exchange of mail:
a. In the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; Moscow, Vladivostok,
Alma Ata, and Tashkent.
b. In the People's Republic of China; Peiping, Tientsin, Shanghai,
Harbin, Urumchi, Su-fu, T'a-ch'eng (Chuguchak), and I-li.
2.. The exchange of mail on the national borders shall take place at the
following stations:
a. In the territory of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics:
Vladivostok, Grodekovo station, Otpor, Bakhty, Irkeshtam (Soviet side), and
Huo-erh-kuo-ssu (Soviet side).
b. In the territory of the People's Republic of China: Tientsin,
Shanghai, Sui-fen-ho station, Manchuli station, T'a-ch'eng, Irkeshtam (Chi-
nese side), and Huo-erh-kuo-ssu (Kung-ch'en) (Chinese side).
3. The post offices and stations for the exchange of air mail shall be
determined by negotiation between the two signatories.
4. The post offices and mail exchange stations may be changed by nego-
tiation between the signatories in case of need.
Article 7
1. Mail bags containing registered and insured mail should be securely.
fastened and sealed with sealing wax or lead seals. The destination should be
written upon red labels. The sealing wax or lead seals should be very evident.
2. The red label on the pouch should clearly indicate the points of origin
and destination of the pouch, the number of the pouch, and the date of sealing.
3. Pouches containing ordinary mail, whether for domestic delivery or for
passing the border, should be closed and marked in the same way as indicated
above, except that the label should be white or blue.
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Article 8
1. The numbers used to identify mail in passing from the exchange office
of one side to the exchange office of the other side should be changed once a
year, and these numbers should be used on both ordinary and registered mail
receipts.
2. The mail exchange offices of the two signatories should see to it
that the mail passes from one side to the other in proper sequence and accord-
ing to the order of the numbers assigned. If this sequence is disturbed, the
exchange office noticing it should immediately notify its opposite number.
3. When a sending exchange office has received a receipt from the oppo-
site side it should be carefully checked all along the line.
Article 9
1. When mail is sent from one country to the other, the consignment
should carry a tally sheet showing the destination, the number of registered
bags (these should bear red labels), the number of bags of ordinary mail
(these should bear labels of another color), and the total number of bags.
2. When registered mail is transferred from one side to the other, very
careful attention should be given to the condition and securing of bags having
red labels.
3. Bags of mail having labels of other colors (aside from those with red
labels) may be received and passed in toto. All mail sacks passed through the
exchange offices, no matter what the color of their labels, should agree in
number with the number indicated on the tally sheet.
Article 10
1. All mail bags should be intact at the time of exchange, but should a
bag be torn, this fact may not be made an excuse for not accepting it. In
case a torn bag is received, it should be placed in a new bag and the items
listed on its label recorded on a new label.
2. When a mail bag is thus placed?vithin another; a notation of this
fact should be placed on the tally sheet opposite its number stating the place
at which this was done; the workers who make the exchange should sign their
names as evidence and affix a date stamp.
11
Article 11
When a receiving exchange office discovers a discrepancy in the number of
bags received as compared with the tally sheet, or finds a torn bag, a formal
notice of this fact should be prepared and sent by registered mail to the
transmitting exchange office by the first mail.
Article 12
1. The value of an insured letter may not exceed 1,000 gold francs fFA
LANG].
2. Insured letters may not contain dutiable goods.
3. The insured value of a letter should be stated in the currency of the
country of origin, but computation in terms of gold francs should be made by
the sender or the sending office at the day's posted rate of exchange.
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Article 13
1. Insured letters should be placed separately in a small mail bag sealed
with sealing wax, bearing a stamp and accompanied by a VD No 3 form.
2. The small bag containing insured letters should be placed in the bag
with registered mail or placed in a special safety bag.
Article 14
1. The cost of transmitting air mail matter should be computed on its ac-
tual weight.
2. The post office is responsible to the sender of mail as follows: If
an insured letter is lost, the sender shall be reimbursed for the insured
amount. If a registered letter is lost, a reimbursement of 25 gold francs
shall be made.
3. All other questions not here specifically discussed, such as sending,
receiving, and exchange, transport expense of mail crossing the borders, as
well as other expenses, loss, surreptitious removal, reimbursement for regis-
tered or insured letters damaged or destroyed, etc., shall be settled by corre-
spondence between the central postal authorities of the two countries.
Article 15
1. Parcel post exchange offices in the two countries shall be as follows:
a. In the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: Moscow, Vladivostok,
Tashkent, and Alma Ata.
b. In the People's Republic of China: Peiping, Harbin, Tientsin,
Shanghai, Urumchi (Tihua), Ili, and Su-fu.
2. Parcel post shall be exchanged at the following border exchange sta-
tions:
a. In the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: Vladivostok, Grode-
kovo station; Otpor, Bakhty, Huo-erh-kuo-ssu (Soviet side), and Irkeshtam.
b. In the People's Republic of China: Tientsin, Shanghai, Manchuli
station, Sui-fen-ho, Huo-erh-kuo-ssu (Kung-ch'en) (Chinese side), Irkeshtam
(Chinese side), and T'a-ch'eng (Chuguchak).
3. Exchange offices and exchange stations for parcel post may be changed,
if necessary, by mutual agreement between the two signatories. '
Article 16
1. Ten kilograms shall be the limit of weight for parcels sent between
the two countries by private individuals and 20 kilograms shall be the limit
for official or business firms' packages. Such parcels may be insured for not
more than 1,000 gold francs. Ten kilograms shall be the limit for parcels pass-
ing across the territory of either of the signatories to other countries.
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2. Parcels exchanged between the two countries shall not measure more
than 150 centimeters on one side and the combined length and girth shall not
exceed 300 centimeters.
3. No parcel shall be insured for more than its actual value. The amount
for which a parcel is insured shall be stated in terms of the currency of the
country of origin, and shall be converted by the sender or sending office into
gold francs at the current rate of exchange of the day.
4. The above mentioned (subdivisions 1, 2, and 3 of Article 16) weights,
measurements, and insured values may be changed by either of the signatories
with the concurrence of the other signatory.
5. With regard to the procedures of exchange of parcels between the two
signatory countries concerning forbidden or special-permission mail, each coun-
try shall follow its own laws and regulations provided they are in accord with
the provisions of this treaty.
6. The cloth or wood covering of parcel-post packages shall be sufficient-
ly strong to provide for the preservation and security of the contents. The
materials, whether cloth or wood, shall be of the same quality throughout. In-
sured parcels, if in wooden boxes, shall have an outer wrapping of strong cloth
of uniform quality.
7. Parcels forbidden by both signatories from being transmitted in the
mails exchanged between the two countries are:
a. Parcels, the weight, measurements, and insured value of which ex-
ceed the stipulations of these regulations as stated in subdivisions 1, 2, and
3. above.
b. Parcels not wrapped according to regulations.
c. Parcels containing perishable goods.
d. Over-size parcels.
e. Collect-on-delivery parcels.
.f. Parcels on which export duties (two characters missing) [TTN: pre-
sumably, have nog been prepaid.
Article 17
Parcels of the two signatories passing beyond their boundaries shall meet
all the conditions recited above and any other conditions required by the other
countries to which they may be sent.
Article 18
Each of the signatories may limit the acceptance and sending of packages
in accord with its own laws and regulations, but should keep the other signa-
tory informed of such limitations.
Article 19
Under exceptional conditions either signatory has the right to refuse to
receive and transmit parcels at any place, but in such case, the central postal
authorities of that side should immediately notify the central postal authori-
ties of the other side. In case of sudden change, the notification should be
by telegram.
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Article 20
1. Senders of mail should pay the full postage in advance. By full post-
age is meant all fees in connection with dispatch and transmission of mail mat-
ter which are due to the transmitting postal administrations.
2. Table of charges for postage on parcel post agreed upon by the two
signatories:
a. Rates to be charged by the Soviet Union.
(1) Between the Asiatic portion of the Soviet Union and China:
under 5 kilograms, 2 gold francs; 5 to 10 kilograms, 4 gold francs; 10 to 15
kilograms, 6 gold francs; 15 to 20 kilograms, 8 gold francs.
(2) Between the European portion of the Soviet Union and China:
under 5 kilograms, 4 gold francs; 5 to 10 kilograms, 8 gold francs; 10 to 15
kilograms, 12 gold francs; 15 to 20 kilograms, 1.6 gold francs.
b. Rates to be charged by the People's Republic of China.
(1) Between the Chinese exchange offices in the Northeast, Tien-
tsin, Shanghai, Urumchi, Su-fu, T'a-ch'eng, and Ili, and the Soviet Union: un-
der 5 kilograms, 1.75 gold francs; 5 to 10 kilograms, 3.50 gold francs; 10 to
15 kilograms, 5.25 gold francs; 15 to 20 kilograms, 7 gold francs.
(2) Between all other parts of China and the Soviet Union: under
5 kilograms, 3.50 gold francs; 5 to 10 kilograms, 7 gold francs; 10 to 15 kilo-
grams, 10.50 gold francs; 15 to 20 kilograms, 14 gold francs.
3. Charges for transmission of parcel post overland to points beyond the
territorial boundaries of the signatories:
a. Rates to be charged by the Soviet Union:
(1) For each parcel, not in mail sacks:
(a) Originating in the Asiatic portion of the Soviet Union:
under 5 kilograms, 4 gold francs; under 10 kilograms, 8 gold francs.
(b) Originating in the European portion of the Soviet Union:
under 5 kilograms, 6 gold francs; under 10 kilograms, 12 gold francs.
(c) If carried by the Trans-Siberian Railroad: under 5 kil-
ograms, 8 gold francs; under 10 kilograms, 16 gold francs.
(2) For parcels in mail sacks, by weight in bulk per kilogram or
fraction thereof, including weight of sack:
(a) If place of origin is in Asiatic portion of the Soviet
Union; 0.80 gold francs;
(b) If place of origin is in European portion of Soviet
Union, 1.20 gold francs;
(c) If carried by the Trans-Siberian Railroad, 1.60 gold
b. Rates to be charged by the People's Republic of China:
(1) For each parcel, not in mail sacks:
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(a) Passing through the Northeast portion of China: under
5 kilograms, 1.75 gold francs; under 10 kilograms, 3.50 gold francs.
(b) Passing through other portions of China as well as the
Northeast: under 5 kilograms, 3.50 gold francs; under 10 kilograms, 7 gold
francs.
(2) For parcels in mail sacks, by weight in bulk per kilogram
or fraction thereof, including weight of sack:
(a) Passing through the Northeast portion of China, 0.35
(b) Passing through other portions of China as well as the
Northeast, 0.70 gold francs.
4. In addition to the above rates, the signatories may charge ocean-
carriage fees, but these shall not exceed 50 centimes per package.
5. Insurance charges for parcel post between the two signatories shall
not exceed 50 centimes per 300 gold francs insured value (or fraction thereof).
Of this, 5 centimes shall go to the office making delivery. If sent by sea,
10 centimes shall go to the carrier.
6. The sending office has the right to charge the sender a service fee
of not more than 50 centimes.
7. The delivering office may charge the recipient fo-f a parcelf/ a cus-
toms clearance service charge not to exceed 80 centimes. In addition a de-
livery fee may be charged, collectable on delivery, the amount to be deter-
mined by the country of delivery, but not to exceed 40 centimes.
8. Aerial postal rates shall be decided upon by future negotiations be-
tween the signatories.
9. Any change in the above (Article 20) fixed postal rates and fees
shall only be made by mutual negotiation between the central postal authori-
ties of the two signatories.
Article 21
The sender shall clearly indicate on the back of the sending form what
is to be done in case the parcel cannot be delivered, using one of the follow-
ing instructions:
1. Please return the package immediately.
2. Please forward the package to the receiver at his new address.
3. Please deliver or forward the package to another person.
4. Please discard the parcel.
5. Please give the sender notice of inability to deliver the parcel,
using form prepared for this purpose.
Article 22
Nothing is to be written on the reverse side of the stub of a parcel de-
livery slip.
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Article 2
1. In case a parcel cannot be delivered and the sender has not given in-
structions for its disposal as indicated, the Union of Soviet Socialist Repub-
lics or the People's Republic of China, as the case may be, shall hold the
parcel at least 2 months beyond the month in which it arrived, after which it
may be returned to the exchange office of the country of origin without giving
notice.
2. If the sender has requested that he be given notice of inability to
deliver a package, the package should be kept for at least 2 months after such
notice has been sent.
3. In case of return of a package, the sender must pay the return or
forwarding expense, storage expense, customs clearance expense, and any other
expenses incurred by the receiving office in accordance with the regulations
of the respective postal administrations.
Article 24
In case of return of a parcel, or of forwarding to a third country, only
the actual post office fees shall be charged, and no customs dues or any other
fees whatsoever shall be collected.
Article 25
In case the wrapping of a package has been broken to the point where it
is necessary to rewrap it in order to pass it across the frontier, a charge of
50 centimes for rewrapping may be collected from the receiving exchange office,
which in turn may be recovered from the recipient of the parcel by the post of-
fice making the delivery.
In case such a package is returned to the sender, the original sending of-
fice shall collect this fee from the sender. The two signatories also have
the right to follow this procedure with respect to througn parcel shipments.
In case repacking is required, a special notation to this effect shall be for-
warded with the tally sheet.
Article 26
Each parcel should have a forwarding form and a customs dues statemenj in
Russian or Chinese with a French translation thereof.
Article 27
If a parcel contains embargoed material or material that may not cross
the frontiers to a third country, and if such fact is entered in the customs
declaration, such parcel may not be confiscated, but should be returned to
the country of origin. However, this provision does not apply if the contents
of the parcel are explosives, easily inflammable material, opium, morphine, co-
caine, or other narcotics, animals,-etc. Such articles shall be handled in ac-
cordance with the domestic postal regulations of the signatories.
Article 28
1. The postal authorities of -the two signatories should assume responsi-
bility to the sender for loss, theft, or destruction of mail matter. The
method of indemnification is as follows:.
a. For ordinary packages not exceeding one kilogram in weight, 10
gold francs.
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b. For a package over one kilogram, but less than 3 kilograms, 15
gold francs.
c. For a package over 3 kilograms, but not over 5'-kilograms, 25
gold francs.
d. Over 5, but not over 10 kilograms, 40 gold francs.
e. Over 10, but not over 15 kilograms, 55 gold francs,
f. Over 15, but not over 20 kilograms, 70 gold francs.
S. For insured parcels, reimbursement shall be made according to
the insured value.
2. The above-mentioned reimbursement shall be made by the post office
of origin at the market rate in the currency of the country of origin.
3. If one of the signatories should make a reimbursement on behalf of
the other, the second country shall refund the amount to the first country
within 2 months of the date of notice issued to that effect.
4. In case indemnification is made for loss, destruction, damage, or
theft, the sender is entitled to a refund of the various expenses paid under
the provisions of Article 20, with the exception of the charges specified in
sections 5 and 6 of said article.
5. The postal service of the two countries will not be responsible for
indemnification for loss, destruction, or theft occurring through unavoidable
circumstances.
Article 29
Any matters pertaining to the exchange of parcel post which are not regu-
lated by this convention, may be regulated by correspondence between the two
signatories.
Article 30
1. Monthly reports shall be made and mutual agreement reached concerning
the parcel post business accounts.
2. After the statement of accounts of the last month of each quarter has
been accepted, creditor offices should render an account voucher for the quarter
in duplicate to the :debtor office, which office, having verified the statement,
shall return a signed copy to the creditor office.
.3. Accounts due should be paid within 6 weeks of receipt of the creditor's
account voucher. If not paid within this period, annual interest at 5 percent
should be added for the period of delinquency beyond 6 weeks.
4. Accounts to be paid each quarter should be computed in gold francs.
The debtor should transmit, through a bank in the capital of the creditor coun-
try, the amount of the creditor's currency equivalent to the amount due, or use
any other method agreed upon by the two sides for clearing the indebtedness.
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Article 31
The basic monetary unit employed under this convention is a gold franc of
100 centimes. Its weight is 10/31 of a gramme. Its fineness is 90.
Article 32
This convention regarding postal matters may be amended or supplemented
in the future by mutual agreement of the signatories, as the expansion and needs
of the postal service may require.
All business documents shall be in the French language.
Article 33
This convention shall come into force on 1 March 1950. It has no terminal
date, but either party wishing to terminate it may give 6 months notice and the
convention may then be terminated.
Article 34
From the date that this treaty comes into force, the treaty made on 20 No-
vember 1936 between the People's Postal and Telecommunications Committee of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Postal Administration of the Minis-
try of Communications of the Chinese Republic shall'be void. All of the above
treaty is witnessed by the signatures and seals of the plenipotentiaries of
both sides.
Done at Moscow 7 February 1950, in duplicate, both copies being in Russian
and Chinese and both languages are of equal force.
Signed:
Plenipotentiary Representatives of the Ministry of Communications of the
People's Republic of China.
Li Ch' iang
Su Yu-nung ( b )
Meng Kuei-min (T-l )
Signed:
Authorized Representatives of the Ministry of Communications of the Union
of Soviet Socialist Republics.
R. A. Popov . (S 'u P
A. S. Malinich (.6 '` k -
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