(F 4699/37/10).
FOREIGN
OFFICE
3764
S.W.1.
26th September, 1930.
(19)
Dear Robinson,
In reply to your letter of the 22nd August,
it would be difficult for the Foreign Office to concur
in any reply to the Governor of Hongkong expressing
approval, sans phrase, of his attitude over the propo sed
Hongkong-China Customs Agreement. This is a question
in regard to which acute differences of opinion exist
and the time has not yet arrived when they can be
resolved by a Cabinet decision. The Foreign Office
view briefly is that, taking into consideration (1)
the insecurity of our tenure of Kowloon and (2) the
certainty (as we understand) that Hongkong would be
ruined and become untenable if separated from Kowloon,
the right policy to adopt, as the only means of
ultimately saving both Hongkong and Kowloon, is to
encourage the sentiment of community of interests
between the Colony and China. Further considerations
- political and commercial
-
which seemed to make it
S. Robinson, Esq.
desirable