| After world war Ⅱ,the British colonial system began to shake,Britain was forced to retreat from India,Burma and other places.Despite the great decline of British power,Britain decided to stick to the colonies in southeast Asia,because the Anti-British struggle in southeast Asia was not fierce and Britain had huge economic interests there.In 1 947,the pattern of the world cold war was initially formed,and Britain actively cooperated with the cold war policy of the United States.In July 1948,the United Kingdom declared a state of emergency in Malaya.The adjustment of Britain’s policy towards Malaya showed that Britain attached great importance to the strategic and economic status of Malaya,and Britain hated communism very much.The situation in China also changed dramatically in 1948,and the victory of the communist party seemed unstoppable.British businessmen and the foreign office all advocated that the British government should keep good relations with the Chinese communist party in order to safeguard its interests in China.Eventually,the British cabinet adopted a policy of "keeping a Foot in the Door" in China,and the UK intended to recognize the communist party to some extent.Britain’s China policy was largely driven by economic interests.In addition.Britain had huge economic interests in Hong Kong,which it is unwilling to give up.The United Kingdom government was fully aware that,despite its strategic importance due to its strategic location,Hong Kong’s main values were economic and trade.Around 1949,Britain’s Hong Kong policy was influenced by their China policy and their southeast Asia policy.The purpose of the Britain’s China policy was to maintain their interests in China as far as possible.Therefore,the British Hong Kong government should not be too provocative to the Chinese communist party.On the other hand,in order to maintain Britain’s colonial rule in southeast Asia,some drastic actions in Hong Kong needed to be taken.As a result,Britain’s Hong Kong policy was contradictory.After the second world war,Britain returned to Hong Kong and restored its colonial rule.However,the British Hong Kong government believed that the status of Hong Kong was not clear.They hoped that they could issue a statement of Hong Kong to clarify the status of Hong Kong.However,the foreign office opposed to issuing such a statement.After the second half of 1948,the British government believed that the situation in China had changed dramatically and It was necessary to issue the Hong Kong statement.At that time,the foreign office was unable to prevent the release of the Hong Kong statement,and they demanded that the Hong Kong statement should not be overly provocative.As the Chinese communist party edged closer to victory,Britain issued several Hong Kong statements,the most important of which were two by Alexander the minister of defence.Alexander’s first statement,issued in May 1949,was very strong,saying that Britain would "defend" Hong Kong by force.This statement had a great impact on the British people living in Shanghai and other places.It also made the British press and army extremely belligerent.The British government soon realized that this statement had negative effects.In June 1949,Alexander issued a second Hong Kong statement,which mainly emphasized that Britain hope to maintain friendly relations with China.Alexander’s "June Hong Kong statement" was not a good corrective to the "May Hong Kong statement",and British newspapers continued to issue bellicose statements.The Hong Kong statement was intended not to challenge the British position in Hong Kong,but also to reassure the people of Hong Kong.The special status of the Hong Kong and the "neutral" policy of the British Hong Kong governments towards Chinese political parties in Hong Kong have led to the establishment of branches of almost all Chinese political parties in Hong Kong.The Kuomintang,the Chinese communist party,the China democratic alliance and the Kuomintang revolutionary committee were all carry out the work in Hong Kong.In the early post-war period,the Kuomintang’s influence in Hong Kong expanded continuously,which had a certain impact on the rule of the British Hong Kong government.The British Hong Kong government could not tolerate such behavior of the Kuomintang,and fierce conflicts occurred between the two.Finally,the British Hong Kong government slightly gained the upper hand.In the early post-war period,the leftist group had little influence in Hong Kong.The British Hong Kong government was quite tolerant to the leftist group,and repeatedly rejected the Kuomintang ’s demands to suppress the leftist group.After the second half of 1948,the strength of the Chinese communist party gradually increased,and the rule of the Kuomintang in China gradually collapsed,and British worried about Hong Kong gradually increased.The British government changed its policy toward Chinese political parties in Hong Kong,and they began to restrict and closely monitor the activities of the communist party.The British government is deeply divided on how to deal with Hong Kong’s communist party.The British foreign office and the governor of Hong Kong say the communist party cannot be severely suppressed.In the end,the British government realized that it could not severely suppress the communist party organizations in Hong Kong,and should let the Chinese political parties in Hong Kong contain each other so that the rule of the Hong Kong government would be more stable.Aware that the security situation in Hong Kong could worsen,the British government tightened its grip on the city.On the one hand,the British government in Hong Kong strengthened its own power.They passed a series of regulations intended to restrict the leftist groups,expanded the police force and expanded the Hong Kong volunteer forces,which greatly enhanced the British government’s control over the society.On the other hand,they continue to crack down on Hong Kong’s communist party organizations,such as deporting some members of the communist party,searching their homes and offices,using the societies ordinance to refuse registration of leftist organizations and schools,and punishing leftist newspapers.The colonial office and foreign office are divided over how to repress the communist party in Hong Kong.On the issue of suppressing Ta Teh college,the foreign office,the colonial office and the Hong Kong government had no divergence.They reached two points of consensus.Second,most of the students at Ta Teh college were from southeast Asia.If these students returned to their country in the future,it will do great harm to the British rule in southeast Asia.The British Hong Kong governments believe they need to crack down on the New China New Agency Hong Kong branch and restrict the release of Chinese films in the city,or the authority of the Hong Kong government will be challenged.The foreign office,which was largely opposed to what it sees as a serious deterioration of Britain’s relations with China,had the upper hand on these issues.The British government’s crackdown on the communist party in Hong Kong had raised serious concerns in the British parliament and the Chinese communist party.Some members of parliament opposed the crackdown,but more supported it.However,the communist party of China expressed its protest and dissatisfaction to the British Hong Kong government through various means.Although the Chinese communist party condemned the atrocities of the British Hong Kong government,it did not take substantive actions.In addition to strengthening its control over Hong Kong,Britain also sent more troops to Hong Kong.The British military believed Hong Kong will face an influx of refugees,strikes by leftist trade unions and an "invasion" by communist guerrillas.For the first time,Britain sent a brigade to Hong Kong in order to stabilize the order of Hong Kong and deal with the social problems in Hong Kong.In the eyes of the British government,the Chinese in Hong Kong were not trustworthy.In the aftermath of the amethyst incident,the British military considered the possibility of a major Chinese attack on Hong Kong,carefully studied the issue and proposed a British response.Other British officials disagreed with the military’s view,they believed the communists would not attack Hong Kong.In the end,the military’s view prevailed,and the British sent large reinforcements to Hong Kong,bringing the British force up to four brigades.The main purpose of the surge was to "intimidate" the Chinese communists not attacking Hong Kong.After the British increased the number of troops in Hong Kong,the British government also had different opinions on whether Britain could "defend" Hong Kong.The British military believed that the British army controlled the air and the sea,and the British army was superior to the Chinese army in all aspects,so the British army could "defend" Hong Kong,while some British civilians did not think so.The British government has also discussed other solutions to the Hong Kong issue.These plans included changing Hong Kong’s political system,setting up a Hong Kong commander-in-chief,placing Hong Kong under the trusteeship of the United Nations,discussing Hong Kong with the Chinese communist party,and abandoning Hong Kong.The British government had concluded that Hong Kong’s long-term policy should not be set until the last minute.There were many reasons concerning Britain decided to "stick to" Hong Kong around 1949.First of all,unlike India,Burma and other colonies,Britain did not need to spend a huge amount of money to maintain its rule in Hong Kong,and Hong Kong could bring great benefits to Britain in terms of trade and economy.Secondly,it was helpful for Britain to maintain its rule in Hong Kong.Compared with Hong Kong,Britain paid more attention to the colonies in southeast Asia.Third,the strategic value of Hong Kong,the British government’s commitment to Hong Kong and the interests of the Hong Kong people were important reasons why Hong Kong cannot be abandoned.In the after and before 1949,The British government issuing Hong Kong statement,suppressing leftist organizations,increasing of troops in Hong Kong,and planning of long-term plans for Hong Kong,all indicated that Britain was not willing to give up the rule of Hong Kong. |
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