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be dealthwith in fact, not as an aspect of colonial, but of
foreign policy. One of the questions which Mr. Alexander
Worth recently put to Marshal Stalin was "Do you believe that
the earliest withdrawal of all American troops from China to
be vital to peace" The answer was a categorical "Yes, I do".
This answer underlines the importance of the Chinese problem
which has hitherto been largely neglected in Britain. It may
well be that in a few years time even the future of Germany
and of the Middle East may seem to be of small significance
compared with that of China. Europe and the Eastern Mediter-
ranean and monopolies the headlines because there, as a result
of the War, the situation is fluid and the Big Four seek to
mould it in accordance with their wishes before the inevitable
crystallisation recurs. But China is probably the greatest
problem which faces both the United States and Russia. It is
the great potential market for American business and if the
United States could organise and equip its 400 million industrious
and intelligent inhabitants she would with the aid of a "democratic"
but capit list Japan, squeeze Russia out of the Pacific. With
the United States in control of chin and Japan Russia's grip on
Eastern Siberia would be in the highest degree precarious and
American hegemony in the Pacific assured. On the otherhand,
if Russia could control China, American efforts to protect
Japan against the infection of Communism would probably fail.
Communist influence would inevitably creep down to Indo- Chine
Burma, Malaya and Indonesia. India would no doubt be affected
and Asia would become a Communist continent. These are high
stakes indeed and Stalin may well consider the withdrawal of
The American troops fr m China to be vital to world peace.
British voter should also reflect that he cannot ignore such
developments if Britain is to remain a world power.
Is it ridiculous to suggest that Hong Kong
might play an important part in the peaceful resolution of
these massive problems? In considering these questions the
word p aceful must be emphasized. The fall of Hong Kong on
Christmas Day 1943 after a brave but futile defence, proved