TNAG-1235-FCO40-1548-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 72

Ta Kung Pao 2/2/83

(Reprint of an artiole)

Николо 1.

With 115

2、 FEB 1983

NOEX.

An account of British invasion and occupation

of the Territory of Hong Kong

J

Ding Mingnan

The territory of Hong Kong invaded and occupied by Britain consists of three parta: 1. Hong Kong Island, 2. Kowloon peninsula south of Boundary Street (South Kowloon), 3. the part of Kowloon peninsula south of Shenzhen River and north of Boundary Street (North Kowloon) plus a myriad of islands around Hong Kong Island and in Da Peng Bay and Shenzhen Bay (now known as the New Territories). These three parts were forcibly taken from the Qing government by Britain in the nineteenth century. British occupation of Hong Kong Island was based on the Treaty of Nanjing of 1842 and occupation of South Kowloon based on the Treaty of Beijing of 1860. These two treaties were concluded under the threat of British cannons brought to bear on a beleaguered capital. In 1898 Britain, taking advantage of the abject submissive- ness of the Qing government after the debacle in the Sino-Japanese war, coerced China into concluding the Extension of Hong Kong Territory Articles whereby a lease for North Kowloon and some two hundred islands was granted for a term of unety-nine years. The area of the three parts plus land subsequently reclaimed from the sea is a total of 1,061,8 sq. km. The third part is about eleven times the area of the first two parts put together. The treaties under which Britain occupied the te.ritory of Hong Kong were all unequal treaties. They were the criminal records of barbarous invasion of China by Dmitrin and bor Asterical testimony to past oppression and humiliation suffered by the Chinese people.

Invasion and occupation of Hong Kong Island

Britain had long been planning to grab a few islands on China' seaboard. In the early eighteen forties Britain waged the Opium War and occupied Hong Kong Island. This initially satisfied its aggressive ambition.

Since Europeans discovered sea routes to the orient in late fifteenth century, countries like Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, France and Britain set sail for the East to plunder and colonise. During the latter half of the eighteenth century Britain, with its fast developing capitalism, defeated and weakened all its rivals and became the unchallenged ruler of the waves. Its navy controlled the vast oceans from the Cape of Good Hope to the Far East. It conquered India and was eyeing as its next target the vast, populous and resource-rich nation of China. In order to set up influence in China, Britain twice sent its envoys, in 1792 and 1816 respectively, to China to ask for establish- ment of diplomatic relations and for ceding of islands as trading base and home for British merchants. The Qing government turned down Britain's requests saying, "Each and every bit of territory is the domain of the Heavenly Court. Even islandg and sandbanks are subject to boundary demarcation and sovereign ownership...... The requests cannot be entertained." (Note 1) In a reply to the British sovereign the Emperor Qian Long said, "Resources and products of China are abundant and plentiful. It lacks nothing. There is really no need for foreign goods by way of trade or barter." (Note 2) It indicated that China attached no importance to British trade. A self-sufficient economy predominated. Farm produces and handi- craft products of China wer, sufficient to meet domestic demand. Qian Long's reply