That sentence really stood out to me. Even if troops were debarked from positions in French Indochina, I don't see how it could have stopped the Japanese AFTER a landing had occurred. It would seem that if there was an increase in Naval concentrations off the shore of Hainan, that you would want to build up defensive troop numbers then.
Its not like they couldn't see it comming. The Japanese first began attacks on Hainan back in August 1937. It's no wonder that Hainan would fall in February of 1939.
“The French were said to have further told the British that they would be unable to tolerate Japanese control of a strategic point so important to themselves and that if a landing occurred they would be compelled to debark there an equal number of French troops.”
How bout the Frenchies debark there an overwhelming superiority of French troops?