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British Foreign Economic Policy Towards China 1949-60

Citation: Clayton, David (2000) British Foreign Economic Policy Towards China 1949-60. Electronic Journal of International History (6). ISSN 1471-1443

Part I will study British foreign economic policy-making on three issues: British investments in China; controls on British exports to China; and controls on imports into Britain from China. The first two issues have been well covered by historians so are treated more briefly; the last one is given more space as it is based on new archival research. All three show how British governments reversed a policy, which sought, despite the emergence of a Communist China, to develop Sino-British economic relations. Part II will compare these policies with those towards Hong Kong. There is not the space here to discuss the policy-making process with regards to Hong Kong but I need to discuss the outcomes of policy-making towards the colony because they influenced policy-making towards China. Moreover, as foreign economic policies towards Hong Kong differed from those towards China, the Hong Kong example will allow me to speculate on the factors influencing policy-making at a more general level. Part III will assess how helpful the Cain and Hopkins thesis is for explaining British foreign economic policy-making towards China.

Creators: Clayton, David and
Official URL: http://www.history.ac.uk/resources/e-journal-inter...
Subjects: History
Keywords: China, international trade, Hong Kong, Sino-British relations
Divisions: Institute of Historical Research
Collections: Electronic Journal of International History
Dates:
  • December 2000 (published)

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