The Timaru Herald SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 1945. Hong Kong

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23288, 25 August 1945, Page 4

The Timaru Herald SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 1945. Hong Kong

J\ announcing to the House of Commons that arrangements arc being made lor a British commander to receive the surrender of the Japanese at Hong Kong, the Prime Minister raised a cheer when he said further that plans for re-establish-ment of the British administration in the colony are already fully prepared. It had been suggested during the week that there was some rivalry between the Chinese and the British on the question of Hong Kong’s surrender. The position may be complicated by the fact that Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek is the Supreme Allied Commander in the China theatre, and as such, he or his accredited representative, should receive the surrender. On the other hand, Hong Kong is a British colony and it wordd be more appropriate for the surrender to be made to a British representative so that the defeat of Decefnber, 1941, could be fully avenged. After Mr Attlee’s announcement in the House of Commons Mr Churchill said: “May I presume that you recall that on numerous occasions, particularly at the Cairo Conference in 1943, the Government made it plain that it did not contemplate modification in the sovereignty of his Majesty’s territories in the Far East.” Mr Churchill had said on another occasion that he had no intention of presiding over the “liquidation” of the British Empire. His reference to British possessions in the Far East therefore is a logical part of the policy he had bluntly proclaimed beforehand. Nowhere has there been any sign of willingness on the part of other Great Powers to qualify or surrender sovereignty over any of their territories, so Britain must stand resolutely w'here all these other nations stand. While there is not likely to be any dispute between the British ad Chinese Governments over the future of Hong Kong, it is well to recall that China ceded the territory to Britain in 1841; that cession was confirmed by the treaty of Nanking in the following year. Situated at the mouth of the Canton River, about 90 miles south of Cantoi), Hong Kong is a great centre of world commerce with China and other countries in the Far East. It has also been a military and naval station of major importance although

it was not able to withstand the Japanese attack for long. It surrendered 17 days after Britain had declared war against Japan. Although Mr Attlee did not immediately endorse the “holdfast ’ policy of Mr Churchill’s Government, he said that he fully recollected Mr Churchill’s former statements and would “bear them in mind.” No doubt there are elements in some countries, particularly the United States, which might have thought that it would have been an excellent gesture on the part of Britain to hand over Hong Kong to the Chinese, but so far that there is not the slightest sign that any other countries are likely to make similar gestures where they have the opportunity of doing so. Nevertheless, there is a problem confronting nations having territorial and commercial interests in the Far East. Japanese occupation of these territories will have left a mark, but just what kind of mark cannot yet be known. The Manchester Guardian, commenting on this question, said: “It is not enough to strike an attitude and repeat ‘What we have we hold.’ Nor can we expect to return to our possession in the Far East as if nothing had happened in the interval.” The Manchester Guardian carried the point further by adding: “Our retention of Burma, Malaya and other territories in South-east Asia can be justified only by a new and vigorous policy to improve the welfare of native peoples and hasten the time of their self-government.” It is most unlikely that the policy towards these territories can remain unchanged. But the trend of future policy must depend upon the way in which these native peoples have fared under the Japanese. Ihe problem is not of exclusive concern to the British Government either. What, for example, is to become of the Netherlands East Indies, the richest colonial territory in the world? It is most improbable that the Dutch will be able to assume their pre-war control of this territory without much closer social, economic and legislative collaboration with the native inhabitants. The solution of the problem obviously is to carry such native peoples rapidly along the way to selfgovernment, but that process will probably prove difficult. Ihe ideal is that the riches of these territories should be shared in common, but it may take a long time to translate ideals into political realities.