55
COP Y.
British Legation,
Peking.
Ho. 191.
Copy to Rongkong.
My Lord,
.
April 13th.,1921.
In Your Lordship's despatch lio.203 of april 26th 1920 my observations were requested on a letter addressed by the lonial Office to His højesty's Under Decretary of State for Foreign Affairs with reference to the pro- posed Customs Agree ment between Hongkong and China. The latter intimated that His hajesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies was in agrement with Sir R. Stubbs' view that the agreement should not now be signed.
I have deferred replying to the above despatch pending the result of further correspondence with the ljon kong Government, but as the nurmort of subsequent communications received from Sir 3. Stubbs his merely been to emphasize the determination of that Government to withdraw from the negotiations I now consider it advisable to bring to Your Lorkhip's notion a brief review of the whole onse in so far ne it has been dealt
with by this Legation.
The enclosed précis of correspondence on the
subject shows the course of the negotiations conducted in Peking, and a perusal of this sumary at once makes
it apparent that the idea of a Customs Convention
originsted in longkong, that the intervention of this
Lagation ma requented by the Covernor only after the
tems of the draft agrement had been fully discussed and
approved by the Hongkong Government, and that every step
taken in Poking ws in accordance with the expressed
The Right Honourable
The Parl Carson of Kedleston, K.0., 0.0.9.1.,
ato..
etc..
etc.. Foreign office.
*ishes
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