CONFIDENTIAL
DSR 11C
By the end of 1949, with a new Chinese régime firmly in
power Mr Kwok seems to have quietly faded away.
72 The first CPG request, 1956-1958 The question of
Chinese official representation in Hong Kong was formally
raised by the CPG on 25 February 1956 when a Vice-Minister
of Foreign Affairs informed the British Chargé d'Affaires
(Mr O'Neill) that China wished to establish an "Office of
a Commissioner for Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic
of China" in Hong Kong. The request was given full and
careful consideration in London and Hong Kong, but it was
decided that HMG should give no definitive reply for the
moment.
73 Although this was the first official approach, the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai (Chou En-lai) appears to have
raised the question informally on a number of previous
occasions, in particular during his discussions with the
Governor of Hong Kong on the latter's unofficial visit to
Peking in October 1955. On these occasions and in all
subsequent approaches, Chinese officials deliberately
avoided references to the appointment of a consular officer
to Hong Kong. The title of Commissioner seems to have
been chosen by the CPG (as by the Nationalist Government
before it) in order to avoid the admission, which would
follow
from
the
title
Consul -
/General
CONFIDENTIAL
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