TNAG-0840-FCO40-1049-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1979 — Page 9

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VIA PORTS

Dock Company, which was owed a considerable sum of money for the repairs that it had carried out.

Our basic objection to taking the action that London made us take was that it contravened our principle of avoiding unnecessary provocation of the Chinese. London's retort would probably be that the governing word is 'necessary', and that for reasons of high policy, which were not within the competence of Hong Kong, the requisitioning was necessary.

The C.N.A.C. issue dragged on for three years, with attempts at sabotaging the planes, C.N.A.C. employees barricading themselves on C.N.A.C. property and having to be ejected by force, and a number of similar unpleasant incidents. The Yung Hao matter fortunately was of much shorter duration and had few side effects.

In the two instances I have just given, the Chinese had justification for displeasure and even resentment, but in other incidents between Hong Kong and China, they had not; and at times their conduct was inexcusable. One of the most outrageous acts they committed was the shelling, in September 1953, of a Royal Naval launch, engaged on regular anti-smuggling patrol and in international waters at the time. Without any warning, Chinese shore batteries opened up on her, kiiling seven and wounding five. Strong protests were lodged by the British government, but no apology was ever made ncr compensation paid. Less than a year later, a Cathay Pacific Airways plane when on its way to Hong Kong was shot down with the loss of ten lives. In this instance the Chinese paid compensation.

WAR IN KOREA

When the communists launched their attack on South Korea in 1950, I was on leave in England. I thought it would be only a matter of days before all was over, with the hammer and sickle flying from buildings in Seoul and Pusan. True, an emergency meeting of the Security Council of the United Nations had been called, but what did the U.N. do, other than pass resolutions of which the aggressor took not the slightest notice? And was it not less than a year previously that I had asked General MacArthur in Tokyo why the bulk of the American forces had been withdrawn from South Korea, and he had replied: because South Korea was indefensible? The outlook seemed hopeless. I am sure that throughout the world most people were of the same opinion. The communists certainly must have been of this way of thinking, or they would not have launched their attack. But we had reckoned without President Truman, a man of moral courage

COMM

and resolution. Also the Russia the special meeting of the Se situation was discussed. In the called on member states to resi North Korea. This shows what peace of the world, were it not of the communist powers. The indeed heavy, fell mainly on th here concerned with the war i with the repercussions on Hon

In the early stages of the w her 'volunteers', the effect on t sent from Hong Kong; troops terrain not dissimilar from th regulars from the United Kingd vicarious. So far as trade was c than lost, for although exports banned. the demand for supplie occurs in war-time, led to almos Tas nearby and was in a positio

The intervention of China United States government impos America and China, and much Kong. Shortly afterwards the U on the export to China of strate of that trade too, used to go

thr Hong Kong and the Portuguese along with China by the U.S. loopholes, if not stopped up, ineffective. It was not, howeve authorities to strangle Hong Kon it almost seemed so! They ther which, whilst maintaining the e possible to the two colonies, and for them to get from the United for their own purposes and not f setting up a system of controls finding their way across the bord

One of our difficulties was free port. Consequently the an although the land frontier with Cl the Colony has 250 miles of irreg