CONFIDENTIAL
a joint meeting of the National Defence Council and the Central Executive Committee on 24 August 1945.
Although
one implication underlying his comments is that the
whole of Hong Kong should ultimately revert to China, in this instance Jiang seems to be limiting his claims to a "readjustment" of the leased territories:-
"China will not use the occasion of Japan's unconditional surrender as a pretext for
disregarding international agreements and infringing upon the rights of our allies. We will not take advantage of this opportunity to despatch troops to take over Hong Kong, nor will we provoke misunderstanding among
our allies. I wish to state here that
the present status of Hong Kong is regulated by a treaty signed by China and Great Britain. Changes in future will be introduced only through friendly negotiations between the two countries.
Our foreign policy is to honour treaties, rely upon law and seek rational re- adjustments when the requirements of
time and actual conditions demand such
readjustments. Now that all the leased
territories and settlements in China
have been one after another returned to
China, the leased territory of Kowloon should not remain an exception.
But
China will settle this last issue through
diplomatic talks between the two
countries".
/
Chinese Communist views.
CONFIDENTIAL
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