81
CONFIDENTIAL
13. BRITISH SHIPPING INTERESTS IN CHINA
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154
Before the war, British shipping interests provided:-
(a) a service on the Yangtzo
(b) a service on the Coast
(c) an ocean service connected with these.
As a rosult of British enterprise officiont ancilliary
services ranging from customs and rivor conservancy to
tugs and lighters, had been built up.
Tho British owned and operated 65,000 tons of rivor craft out of the total 180,000 tons on the river and 165,000
tons out of 660,000 on the Coast.
British shipping interests alone had about £17
millions, invested in China whilst trade between the U.K.
and China, although it had declined, was in 1936 balanced at
about £7 million on cither side.
In 1957, the British carried 42.4% of China's
domestic trade and 36.5% of her ocean trade, and Chinese shippers and merchants through British Agencies throughout China could export and import their goods by through bill of lading to and from every part of the world. Furthermore, since competition, particularly from subsidised Japanesc linos, was keun, prices were kept low.
Since the British transport systom was largely staffed by Chinese and much of the profits made wore put back into ships built in China or shore property and buildings, the Chinese derived great advantage from British onterprise,
With the end of the war the Chinese have not allowed British ships or Chinese ships owned by Companies under British control to trade on the rivers or coast.
Nanking and Hankow, ports which can be visited by ocean
Even
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