CO537-1657 — Page 14

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The Question of Hongkong and Kowloon

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For future good relations between China and Brit 24 adä Pini946 interest of their joint efforts to promote world peace, Britain must restore Hongkong and Kowloon to China, an editorial of the Central Daily News stated on September 19th. The first move in this direction should be the abolition of the Treaty of Peking of 1898. China's sovereignty of Kowloon city should not be declared null and void by the Hongkong Government on the pretext of running counter to British military requirements. The Sino-British Treaty of Peking was the result of British colonial policy in the Far East, and the Kowloon problem arose out of the policy of the British coloniaļ authorities in Hongkong. The Treaty of Peking is one of the unequal treaties forced on China by Britain and the abolition of the treaty should be the key to lasting understanding between the two countries. The Chinese Government's policy is that any change in the status of the city of Kowloon should be brought about through diplomatic negotiations and neither China nor Britain should take unilateral action.

Branding as "preposterous" a statement made by a spokesman of the Hongkong Government concerning Kowloon, Wong Shu-i, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Branch of the People's Foreign Relations Association of China in an interview with Central News on September 19th said "his branch has cabled the Headquarters of the P.F.R.A. in Nanking to urge the Government to negotiate with the British authorities for an early retrocession of the Kowloon settlement. Wong said the Association was ready to back up public opinion against aggressive British policy and press the British authorities to give up such imperialistic" thought and action.

Articles in the Chinese press indicate some misapprehension con- cerning the status of the city of Kowloon when considering the status of Kowloon city as different from the remainder of the new territories, a Government spokesman declared on September 14th. Since Kowloon city is HK persistently referred to as Chinese territory as laid down in the treaty, Got it is desirable that inaccurate statements" should be contradicted and

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the public be informed as to the true position. Under the Peking Treaty between Britain and China, the limits of British territory were to be enlarged under lease for 99 years extending northwards to Deep Bay Mirs Bay frontier including Kowloon city. As stipulated in the conven- tion

Chinese officials then stationed in the city of Kowloon should continue to exercise jurisdiction if not inconsistent with military requirements for the defence of Hongkong. If Kowloon had been excluded from leased territory there would be no need for the stipulation con- cerning the jurisdiction of Chinese officials which would remain in a sovereign state. From July 1st, 1898, when the Convention first came into force, the city of Kowloon became part of extended British terri- tory under British sovereignty for the period of the lease. In 1899 cxercise by Chinese officials in Kowloon city was found to be inconsis tent with military requirements for the defence of Hongkong and it was terminated. After that British authorities exercised sole jurisdiction

in Kowloon city.V