CO129-588-24 China- British extra-territorial rights- negotiations with China 23-11-1942 - 1-1-1943 — Page 24

206 chung king

2177.0

1732

2627/12 F 8514 / 828/10

218 To Chunghing 1641

219

1736

Sir G. Gater.

of 28/12

of 28/12

24

28.12.62

Now see

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Hong Kong

No.216 in this file gives the Chine se Government's reaction to the recent War Cabinet decision on the Chinese demand for a promise of the rendition to China of the New Territories (No.191) The Chinese reply is so far only in the form of an oral statement by Dr. Wellington Koo in his personal capacity; the Chinese Government, he said, had decided that no solution would be acceptable to them unless it contained a clear statement that H..G. intended to return the New Territories to China. They had no objection to the matter being dealt with outside the Treaty (We had proposed an exchange of notes) or to the actual arrangements being made after the war but unless this statement of H. M. G. 's intentions were made the Chinese Government would not sign the extra-territoriality Treaty. He added that both the Chinese Government and the Kuo kin Tang Party were committed and could not now draw back.

that

A

Sir H. Seymour now expects the Chinese Government's refusal to sign the Treaty except on these terms, will now be officially communicated to him and he says that this will lead to a serious deterioration of Anglo-Chinese_relations just when they were rapidly improving. understand that the F.. are taking this reply back to the War Cabinet immediately. The United States Treaty with China on extra-territoriality questions is intended to be signed on the 1st January and the F.U. were hoping that our own Treaty would be signed about the same time. In his memorandum to the Cabinet (190) M.Eden pointed out that we could not expect any support from the United States Government in a refusal to discuss with China the question of the Lew Territories. In that memorandum, however, he only recommended that we should inform the Chinese Government that we should be prepared to discuss the future of the New Territories when victory has been won. The present Chinese ultimatum to us calls, of course, for something much more definite. Whatever course we may have to take after the war about the New Territories or about Hong Kong itself, I believe that it is of first rate importance, both from the Colonial Office point of view and from the wider British point of view, that we should not allow ourselves to be brow-beaten by the Chinese in present circumstances. lt is possible that the Chinese Government see our influence and military successes to be likely to grow rapidly from now on and that unless they win their point now they would be in a weaker position to do so later. The fact that they have communicated this important "decision" via Mr. Wellington Koo, "speaking in his personal capacity" suggests that the Chinese Government is keeping for itself an avenue of retreat and that a firm and quick answer to this ultimatum of theirs will cause them to think again.

29.12.42.

Since dictating the above I have just

received from the F.0. the attached telegrams, 218 and 219. 218 is a definite refusal by H... G. to accept the Chinese demand and a threat to jettison the Treaty

P. TO.

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