CO129-518-3 Proposals to hold periodical conferences between principal British authorities in China- and the government in... 13-8-1929 - 31-12-1929 — Page 23

5.

After all, Canton is one of the storm centres

in China, and Canton is undoubtedly within your

sphere of diplomatic action, 20 that a visit by you

to South China is regarded by everyone as a normal

event and does not require special sanction from the

Foreign Office or anybody else, whereas a visit by

the Governor of Hong Kong to Peking, Hanking or else-

where at once attracts special attention. I would

also urge upon you the fact that Hong Kong is by far

the largest British asset on the China coast. It is

even more necessary, I suggest, that the British

Minister should be in close touch with Hong Kong than

that he should be in close touch with Shanghai.

Peking is, it seems to me, now right outside the

ordinary course of Chinese politice and it is,

unfortunately, somewhat inaccessible; but, once the British Minister has reached Shanghai or Nanking, a

visit to Hong Kong would only be a matter of a few

days.

As regards the question of a meeting between

the Chinese Secretaries of Hong Kong, the Straits

and Malaya, I feel very strongly indeed that these

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