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Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government 53
FFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL,
0535]
No. 1.
Rccp
[ March 31.]AY
SECTION 1.
Foreign Office to Colonial Office.
Foreign Offer, March 31, 1911. IN a minute dated the 15th October last, Mr E. A. Ilewett, Chairman of the Hong bag General Chamber of Commerce, and unofficial member of the executive and gislative councils of the colony, suggested the desirability of putting forward a claim, connection with the construction of the Canton-Kowloon Railway, to the enjoyment Hong Kong in respect of the trade with China passing through the leased territory Kowloon, of privileges similar to those already possessed by Great Britain in respect the trade across the Burma-China frontier, and by France and Russia as regards the nd frontier trade between their respective Asiatic possessions and the Chinese mpire.
As you were informed in the letter from this Department of the 7th January last, is Majesty's Minister at Peking was instructed to furnish his observations upon this ggestion. These have now been received and are contained in the despatch, of which copy is enclosed herewith.
The Secretary of State for the Colonies will observe that Sir J. Jordan lays mphasis upon the distinction between territory leased from China by foreigu Powers ad the actual possessions of those Powers, and states that, as a natter of fact, no Gwer has yet claimed special treatment for the traffic passing across the frontiers etween its leased territory and China, and that he expresses the view that any such ain would be firmly resisted by the Chinese Government.
The Board of Trade, who have been consulted upon the matter, have expressed eir concurrence in Sir E. Grey's proposal to inform Sir J. Jordan that, in the circum- anees, no action should be taken in the sense suggested by Mr. Hewett, and, subject the opinion of Mr. Secretary Harcourt, Sir E. Grey would propose now to adopt this
purse.
I have, &c.
F. A. CAMPBELL.
[1918 hh−1]
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