British companies operating in China.
No. 298 (13356/H3/47)
& 3 copies.
BRITISH CONSULATS-G SIKRAL,
SHANG HA I.
9th June, 1947.
gir,
66
with reference to urticle 4 of the China Order in Council 1943, 3.. & 0. 1943 No. 386, which requires every "China company” to be registered with the Rogistrar of Companies at Hong Kong within six months of a dato to be specified by the secretary of state, I have the honour to report that, so far as my rocords shɔw, 245 "China" companies have now been regi.tored with the Registrar at Hong Kong, and 175 remain that have not applied for registration in accord- ance with the order in Council. It is most probable that the latter "China" companies are eithor defunct or they have decided not to continuo as companios of British nationality. If they are still operating in China as British companies, they must rugister as such under the Chinese Company Law 1946, and a prerequisite of registration with the Chinese authorities is registration at Hong Kong. Very few applications for transfer of registration to Hong Kɔng have been received by this Consulate-General in recent wecka.
2.
I am not awa e that the date referred to in section 2 of article 4 of the Order in Council has yet been specified by the Secretary of State, and if not, I have the honour to suggest that it may be now appropriately specified, as there is no reason that I can see why a "China" company desiring to continue business in China as a company of British nationality should not by now have complied with the Order in Council. The question of capital conversion, delay in the settling of which is causing considerable anxiety to a number of companies, ariscs subsequent to registration at Hong Kong. Upon the announcement of the date, I would send a circular letter to the unregistered companies warning thea of the provisions of article 4(3) of the Order in Council.
3.
Relating to the operations of British companies in China, I have received a letter from the Acting Consul-General at Chun king in which he inquires whether a list of changes in companies should still be reported to this Consulatu-General on April 1st of each year in accordance with Appendix A in the "Coupondium of instructions to Consular Officera in China". I think it would still be useful for His Majesty's Consuls in
His Majesty's Ambassador,
British Embassy
NANKING.
-/China