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34
once and for all that the Colony is untenable in any major con-
flict with a power which controls China. The small garrison
which will remain there is designed only for police duties and
to serve as a small strategic reserve for possible action else-
where in the Pacific. Hong Kong's contribution can, therefore
only be in the spheres of diplomacy and of moral and educational
influence.
would
it ?
X
Diplomatically, Britain has had no real policy
}
in China since the surrender of Japan. This has, no doubt, been
due to bewilderment and her complex problems and to preoccupations
elsewhere, But so far this lack of policy has had certain advant-
ages. The Americans, by the expenditure of vast sums of money
and by the sacrifice of immense quantities of equipment, has kept
in power the most corrupt and reactionary elements of the Kuo-
mintang.
She has thus earned the fundamental hostility of the
Communists and the suspicion of all progressive elements in
China. The United States is thus faced with the embarassing
choice of continuing to support, virtually by force of arms,
a gan of unstable and inefficient reactionaries or of withdrawing
that suppert with the probable result that a new government,
hostile to America with replace the present Kuomintang clique
Britain, on the other hand, by a policy of
inaction remains uncommitted to any "hinese faction. he still
retains great trading interests in China. These may not endear
her to the Communists but her reputation for sound commercial practice and her initiative in surrendering the Treaty Ports
before the War has enabled her to retain considerable prestige. This prestige would be enormously strengthened in China, as in
Europe, if she were to adopt a constructive independent policy.
Nothing is more odious to the Chinese or to any asiatic than
the thought of becoming the pawns of America or of Russia. Yet
all intelligent Asiatics agree that they need technical and
educational assistance from the West. Britain is in a position
to give such assistance and the very weakness of her position
in the Far East is a guarantee that it could be accepted by
China without any sacrifice of her political independence.
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