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C H A P T E R S E V E N THE CHIN A FACTO R a. Chines e Representation i n Hong Kong After฀the฀offices฀of฀the฀Governor฀of฀Hong฀Kong฀and฀the฀Plenipotentiary฀an d฀ Superintendent฀of฀China฀Trade฀were฀separated฀in฀1859,฀the฀question฀of฀wha t฀ kind฀o f฀contac t฀Hon g฀Kon g฀shoul d฀maintai n฀wit h฀th e฀Chines e฀authoritie s฀ emerged.฀At฀th e฀diplomati c฀level ,฀a฀formal฀channe l฀wa s฀establishe d฀wit h฀ the฀appointmen t฀o f฀a ฀Britis h฀Ministe r฀t o฀th e฀Cour t฀i n฀Peking ,฀which฀wa s฀ later฀followed฀b y฀the฀sending฀of฀a฀Chinese฀Minister฀to฀the฀Court฀of฀St฀James฀ in฀London.฀Formal฀communications฀between฀the฀governments฀of฀Hong฀Kon g฀ and฀China฀would฀be฀handled฀through฀the฀usual฀diplomatic฀channels,฀whic h฀ is฀t o฀sa y฀throug h฀th e฀Britis h฀governmen t฀i n฀London ,฀an d฀th e฀Britis h฀an d฀ Chinese฀diplomat s฀statione d฀i n฀eac h฀other' s฀capital .฀At฀th e฀loca l฀level ,฀i n฀ accordance฀wit h฀th e฀genera l฀practic e฀i n฀internationa l฀relations ,฀the฀usua l฀ arrangement฀woul d฀b e฀for฀the฀Chinese฀government฀t o฀b e฀represented฀b y฀a฀ Consul฀or฀Consul-General฀i n฀Hong฀Kong,฀depending฀on฀how฀many฀interest s฀ the฀Chinese฀had฀there.฀The฀subject฀was฀first฀raised฀in฀1868,฀when฀the฀Chinese฀ government฀suggeste d฀that฀a฀Chinese฀official฀b e฀allowed฀to฀be฀stationed฀i n฀ Hong฀Kon g฀t o฀collec t฀custo m฀duties .฀I t฀wa s฀no t฀a ฀proposa l฀t o฀establis h฀ consular฀representation .฀Nevertheles s฀th e฀Britis h฀Ministe r฀i n฀China ,฀Si r฀ Rutherford฀Alcock,฀responded฀by฀suggesting฀that฀the฀Chinese฀should฀send฀a฀ consul฀t o฀Hon g฀Kong .฀ Ever฀since฀the฀question฀of฀consular฀representation฀was฀raised,฀the฀Hon g฀ Kong฀government฀had฀strongly฀resisted฀such฀an฀arrangement฀almost฀withou t฀ interruption.฀Th e฀ground s฀fo r฀Hon g฀Kong' s฀objectio n฀ar e฀explaine d฀i n฀ document฀VII.al฀below. 1 ฀They฀remaine d฀essentially฀the฀same฀for฀the฀res t฀of฀ century,฀except฀during฀the฀tenure฀of฀Sir฀George฀Bowe n฀as฀Governor฀(1883 87 ).฀Bowe n฀sa w฀n o฀objectio n฀t o฀suc h฀a n฀appointment ,฀bu t฀n o฀on e฀wa s฀ appointed฀as฀the฀Chinese฀did฀no t฀pursue฀the฀issue฀during฀his฀governorship.฀ 272฀ Government฀and฀Politics฀ It฀was฀several฀year s฀later ,฀i n฀1891 ,฀when฀th e฀Chinese฀government฀took฀th e฀ matter฀further฀and฀named฀a฀consular฀official,฀Tso฀P'ing-lung,฀for฀the฀position.฀ In฀response฀to฀the฀Hong฀Kong฀government's฀objections,฀the฀British฀impose d฀ a฀condition,฀namel y฀tha t฀Tso's฀appointment฀woul d฀b e฀only฀for฀on e฀yea r฀i n฀ the฀firs t฀instance ,฀an d฀h e฀woul d฀b e฀recalle d฀shoul d฀th e฀Britis h฀fin d฀hi m฀ unsatisfactory.฀I n฀th e฀end ,฀th e฀Chines e฀governmen t฀di d฀no t฀mak e฀th e฀ appointment฀becaus e฀the฀Britis h฀condition฀wa s฀unacceptable .฀ DOCUMENT Vll.al : Governo r R.G . MacDonnel l t o Secretar y Lor d Granville , dispatch 701 , 12 May 186 9 (source : F0881/9723) (extracts ) I hav e th e honou r t o acknowledg e receip t o f Your Lordship's despatch No.3 6 covering copy of a letter from the Foreign Office transmittin g a correspondence betwee n Prince Kung [of the Chinese Tsungli Yamen] and Sir Rutherford Alcock , Her Majesty' s Minister i n China , fro m whic h i t appear s tha t Princ e Kun g ha d suggeste d th e appointment b y the Chines e governmen t 'o f Officials t o reside at Hong Kong for th e express purpose of attending to the collection of duties in the interest of the (Chinese ) Customs Revenue' . 2. Th e Princ e gives as a reason for this extraordinary reques t that th e suppose d facilities afforde d b y the formation o f the neighbouring coas t for smuggling were suc h that 'vessel s wer e constantl y evadin g th e paymen t o f dutie s...

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