SECRET
DSR 11C
(F6996/186 17.9.45)
future would be introduced only through "friendly negotiations" between China and Britain.
BRITISH ATTITUDES
9. In the face of Chinese and US pressure during the war years to reconsider its claim to sovereignty / over Hong Kong, Britain maintained an official posture of no movement from its view that Hong Kong was British territory. On the practical side, preparations were put in hand well before the surrender of Japan in August
1945 for the formation of a civil unit to assist in
the British administration of Hong Kong after the end
of war.
At the same time, however, Britain had
indicated informally to China that if it wished to
raise the issue of the leased territories, HMG would
consider that a matter for discussion when victory was
won.
(F6441/G/695
12.9.42)
10: A similar view, this time on the status of Hong Kong, found its way as far as a joint Colonial Office Foreign Office draft memorandum prepared inAugust- September 1942 for submission to the Cabinet. The paper was entitled "A Post-War Settlement in the Far East".
Paragraphs 21 to 24 dealt with Hong Kong. They anticipated that at a time when Britain was preparing to give up extraterritorial rights in China, the Chinese Government would "naturally expect consideration of our position in Hong Kong". In the hope of securing Chinese goodwill, the draft suggested that Britain should declare that on the victory of the United Nations we looked for a "reconstruction in the Far East" designed to secure peace and order, in which end we expected general cooperation; that our own purpose was to promote the growth of "responsible self government" and that in such circumstances we should be ready "to
consider with the Government of China the future
position in Hong Kong" and would not for our part
regard the maintenance of British sovereignty over the colony as a matter "beyond the scope of such discussions".
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D 107991 400,000 7/76 904 953