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Chinese
CHINESE REPRESENTATION IN HONG KONG
Developments up to 1941
1. The issue of an official Chinese representative in Hong Kong was first raised in 1868, when China proposed sending officials to attend to the collection of duties in the interest of Customs Revenue. The proposal met with opposition from the local mercan- tile community and from the then Governor, Sir Richard Macdonnell, and was refused. In 1883, Hong Kong apparently agreed to the appointment of a Chinese consul, but in the event, none was actually sent. In 1890, the Chinese raised the subject again, when they put forward the name of a Chinese official for the post of Consul at Hong Kong. HMG was on that occasion willing to agree to the appointment, but only for one year and on the under- standing that the Consul would be withdrawn at the end of that time if the appointment was not found to work well. The Hong Kong Government was instructed to co-operate.
In the event, however, the Chinese Government was unable to accept the condition imposed, and no appointment was made.
2. A further Chinese request was apparently made in 1907, but was resisted. The issue came up again in 1929, when negotiations Anglo- were initiated on an/commercial treaty. The Chinese counter-
draft to the treaty sought reciprocal treatment in the matter of consular representation, a move that would have entitled them to send a Consul to Hong Kong. This proposal was rejected by the Hong Kong Government, though the Foreign Office seemed prepared to consider the appointment of a Consul with limited powers. However, the question appears to have fallen by the way as negotiations on the commercial treaty were postponed indefinitely because it was found that the way had first to be cleared by a treaty for the abolition of extraterritoriality. Work on such a treaty had in turn to be dropped on the outbreak of Sino-Japanese hostilities in Manchuria in 1931.
3. In 1932, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested a Vice-Consulate at Hong Kong to handle consular invoices. At first, HMG suggested, as it had on earlier occasions, that the Commissioner of Customs do this work. When the Chinese Government rejected this proposal, it was agreed by both sides in October 1932 that a "Chinese Invoice Officer" be appointed. The Chinese nominee had taken up his post by the end of 1932.
Situation in 1940-41
40
In late 1940, the Chinese Government revived the issue of a Chinese official representative in Hong Kong, prompted by a projected Hong Kong Immigration Ordinance. This Ordinance had the effect, after introduction, of cancelling the exemption from passports hitherto enjoyed by the Chinese). The title for such an official used in Foreign Office correspondence at the time was that of Consul-General. The Foreign Office's initial reaction was that the question of a consul might await resumption of the negotiations for a new commercial treaty, which, it was hoped,
/would
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