The collection comprises the papers of the China Association, 1889-1995 (predominantly,
1889-1961) including minutes and committee papers of the General Committee and Executive
Committee; correspondence with the Foreign Office, Board of Trade, Sino-British Trade
Council, Tientsin and Hong Kong Chambers of Commerce, Hong Kong Association and the
British Consulate in Shanghai; annual reports (1889-1995), and separate items including
the minutes and papers of the China Association's School of Practical Chinese Endowment
Fund (1908-1955). Also includes committee papers and minutes of the British Chambers
of Commerce in Hankow and Tientsin, the Hong Kong Association, the Sino-British Trade
Council, and the British Residents' Association in Shanghai. Also includes photographs
of banquets (1896-1906), and albums of newspaper cuttings on China (1940-1947) and
Japan (1942-1949).
A proposal for the formation of a 'China Association' was first made at an inaugural
dinner held for 'gentlemen with some connection to the Far East', at the Thatched
House Club in London, on 4 March 1889. The China Association was formally constituted
at a meeting held on 11 April 1889, and chaired initially by Sir Alfred Dent. The
first Annual Dinner of the China Association was held in March 1890.
The China Association was a mercantile body, whose traditional role was to represent
the interests of those concerned with trade to China, Hong Kong and Japan. Membership
included representatives of the large China Houses such as Swire & Sons; Jardine,
Matheson & Co; Paton & Baldwins and Shell Petroleum, in addition to Members of Parliament
and retired colonial and military officials returned from service in the Far East.
The Association pursued a policy of collaboration with the Foreign Office. Personal
representations for certain causes were made to the government, whilst adverse publicity
and attempts to stir up public opinion were repudiated.
The General Committee (also known as the London Committee) served as the Board of
Directors, dealing with policy matters. By the 1930's, the Committee employed two
full-time secretaries who performed a variety of services including correspondence
with the Foreign Office over commercial grievances in China; quarterly political summaries
of Chinese domestic and international affairs for members; translations of the Chinese
press; contact with the Chinese Embassy, and preparation for the Annual Dinner to
which leading political figures were invited. The Presidency of the Association was
initially an honorary post, with real leadership vested in the Chairman of the General
Committee. The first Chairman was George Bowen, with Sir Alfred Dent as President
(soon to be replaced by William Keswick). The Executive Committee, consisting of the
nuclear leadership of the General Committee, was of administrative importance. Richard
Simpson Gundry was named as the first Honorary Secretary. Elections for officers were
held annually. The Association was funded through entrance fees, membership subscriptions
and by donation, with funds managed by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
Within the first year, the China Association enrolled 111 members. By 1895, this stood
at over 400 and its General Committee was seen as the recognised representative of
British commercial interests in China. Between 1892 and 1893, invitations were sent
out to British residents in Hong Kong, China and Japan to form branch associations.
The Shanghai Committee was constituted in December 1892, followed by Yokohama in the
same year and Hong Kong in June 1893. In 1898, the China Association founded its Incorporated
School of Practical Chinese. In 1917, this was merged with the School of Oriental
Studies, where the Mandarin dialect was taught in the Far Eastern Department. The
Japan Commercial Council of the China Association in London (Japan Association) was
founded in 1948, and the Hong Kong Association in 1961/2.
By 1900, the strategy adopted vis-a-vis the Government had led to a division within
the leadership of the Association. Against the background of growing fear of commercial
competition from Russia, France and Japan, certain members of the General Committee
and Shanghai Committee felt that the Association's influence with the Foreign Office
was exaggerated, and that the Government was failing to effectively represent British
mercantile interests in China. It was felt that public pressure was needed to push
the Government into action, and Sir Edward Ackroyd suggested that the Association
change its strategy and reorganise into a 'League'. This proposal was voted down,
with the effect that the insurgents formed the China League, with R.A. Yerburgh as
Chairman and G. Jamieson as Secretary. In 1903-4, the Shanghai Committee called for
the amalgamation of China Association with the China League. A Special General Meeting
was called, but again the proposal was voted down by a narrow margin.
The work of the China Association involved taking on the commercial grievances of
British traders in China, and representing their interests to the British Government
and the authorities in China. In this work, the Association often acted in conjunction
with the London Chamber of Commerce, local Chambers and the Federation of British
Industries. The history of the Association thus reflects the reaction of the British
trading community to political events in China in the late 19th and 20th Centuries,
and the pursuit of reform to allow for increased British trade opportunities in China's
interior. Requests for intervention in the first decade of its existence included
backing for transit passes in China's southern provinces; pressure for opening the
West River for steam navigation and foreign trade; representation of concern over
peace terms following the Sino-Japanese War, and their implications for British trade,
and the threat of commercial competition arising from the lease of Port Arthur to
Russia.
In the aftermath of WW2, with the Communist advance across China and the Nationalist
blockade of important cities such as Shanghai, the China Association worked to alert
the British Government to the increasingly difficult circumstances under which British
firms operated. Between 1950 and 1952, many British firms had left China, and the
Association acted to ensure that official action was taken to protect British assets
and concerns and to meet demands for compensation. In 1954, the Sino-British Trade
Committee was formed, including representatives of the China Association, the Federation
of British Industries, the Association of British Chambers of Commerce, the London
Chamber of Commerce and the National Union of Manufacturers, to facilitate British-Chinese
trade. There was a marked shift in Chinese government policy as a Chinese Charge D'Affairs
was sent to Britain, and the China Association established contact with the new office.
In 1957, the Association was involved in persuading the Government to bring the strict
Chinese trade regulations into line with those applied to other Communist countries.
In 1972, full diplomatic relations were restored between Britain and China.
The China Association continues its work today. More recent concerns include the handing
of Hong Kong back to China in 1997. The Association assists in the maintenance and
development of good relations between China and Britain, through continued sponsorship
of the Sino-British Trade Council, and co-operation with other Chinese bodies in London
including the Chinese Embassy, China Society and the Great Britain China Centre. The
Association holds quarterly luncheons to which important representatives and speakers
are invited.
The above history has been based largely on accounts of the China Association in the
following works: N.A. Pelcovits, Old China Hands and the Foreign Office, (New York,
1948); R. Birdman, Britain and the People's Republic of China 1949-1974, (London 1976).
Deposited on permanent loan in 1978.
The material has been arranged in the following sections: annual reports (CHAS/A);
correspondence (CHAS/C); chronological indexes (ref. CHAS/IND); minutes, committee
papers and circulars (CHAS/MCP); newspaper cuttings (CHAS/N); and separate items (CHAS/SI),
Within each section, material has been arranged chronologically.
Rights to access and re-use digital objects:
Unknown
Copyright held by the China Association: Swire House, 59 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E
6AJ.
Unpublished handlist. There are also detailed chronological indexes available for
parts of the collection (ref. CHAS/IND), available for consultation in the Special
Collection Reading Room, SOAS. A handlist of material retained by the China Association
is also available at SOAS.
Additional material (1948-1951) has been retained by the China Association.
Related Collections at SOAS: Ogden, Sir Alwyne George Neville [ref. PP MS 47] John
Swire & Sons [ref. JSS]
Subjects:
International trade
China
UK
Business
Second World War (1939-1945)
Geographic names:
China, Asia
Eastern Asia
Japan, Asia
Corporate names: British Chamber of Commerce; Hankow British Chamber of Commerce; Hong Kong British Chamber of Commerce; Tientsin British Consulate; Shanghai British Residents' Association; Shanghai China Association China Association; Executive Committee China Association; School of Practical Chinese; Endowment Fund
Great Britain; Board of TradeGreat Britain; Foreign OfficeHong Kong Association Sino-British Trade Committee
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Archives, University of London