 However, the political atmosphere in the capital Beijing had changed by this time, and the administration of president Yuan Shikai was facing a popular movement against the Twenty-One Demands raised by Japan.Given the public mood against concessions being made to foreign powers, the Chinese government turned down the International Settlement's request for expansion.Meanwhile, the British government (the principal power behind the International Settlement) was itself occupied with the conduct of the First World War, and did not pursue the issue further.