Sir,
C. O.
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce
Received 13 FEB 1904
62
Hongkong, January, 1904.
I would beg to remind you that on Your Excellency's last visit to Hongkong, when you were good enough to agree to meet the British Members of the Committee of the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce, the question of opening Nanning in Kwangsi and Kongmoon in Kwangtung was specially discussed.
Your Excellency then expressed sympathy with the views of the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce on this subject, and we were in hopes that before long these two important centres of trade might be added to the list of Open Treaty Ports in China.
We are given to understand that so far as Kongmoon is concerned, the Chinese Government has raised no difficulty as to the opening of that City, and, indeed, under Article X of the Shanghai Treaty, the port was practically declared open by the ratification of that Treaty, but we believe the delay which has now arisen in actually opening the port to foreign trade is due to the action of the Imperial Maritime Customs. Be this as it may, we would now respectfully urge upon Your Excellency the necessity for having Kongmoon opened to our shipping without further loss of time.
The opening of Nanning stands on a somewhat slightly different footing, as while in time we believe it will become a very important point in our trade with the province of Kwangsi, we consider that the chief necessity which now renders it imperative for Nanning to be opened is the forward policy of His Excellency Sir Ernest Satow, K.C.M.G.