British-Chinese relations , also known as
Sino-British relations and
Anglo-Chinese relations, refers to the
interstate relationsInternational relations or International studies represents the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , non-governmental organizations , and multinational corporations...
between
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
and the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. Although on opposing sides of the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
, both countries were allies during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and are members of the
UNThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
. But because of the Cold War,
FirstThe First Opium War or the First Anglo-Chinese War was fought between the British East India Company and the Qing Dynasty of China from 1839 to 1842 with the aim of forcing China to allow free trade, particularly in opium...
and
Second Opium WarThe Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war of the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856–1860.- Names :"Second Opium War" and "Arrow War" are both used...
, and the status of
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
, and other issues, China-UK relations at some points in history have been complicated, but better at other times.
- 27 June 1637 First direct contact between British and Chinese.
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British-Chinese relations , also known as
Sino-British relations and
Anglo-Chinese relations, refers to the
interstate relationsInternational relations or International studies represents the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , non-governmental organizations , and multinational corporations...
between
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
and the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. Although on opposing sides of the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
, both countries were allies during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and are members of the
UNThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
. But because of the Cold War,
FirstThe First Opium War or the First Anglo-Chinese War was fought between the British East India Company and the Qing Dynasty of China from 1839 to 1842 with the aim of forcing China to allow free trade, particularly in opium...
and
Second Opium WarThe Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war of the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856–1860.- Names :"Second Opium War" and "Arrow War" are both used...
, and the status of
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
, and other issues, China-UK relations at some points in history have been complicated, but better at other times.
Between England and the Ming DynastyThe Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history," was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
(1368 - 1644)
- 27 June 1637 First direct contact between British and Chinese. Four heavily-armed ships under Captain John Wendell, arrive at Macao
Mação is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 400.0 km² and a total population of 7,763 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of eight parishes, and is located in the Santarém District....
in an attempt to open trade between England and China. They are not backed by the East India CompanyEast India Company was a historical English company, founded in 1600, and chartered with the monopoly of trading with Southeast Asia, East Asia, and India...
, but rather by a private group led by Sir William Courteen, including King Charles ICharles I, , the second son of James VI of Scotland and I of England, was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Charles famously engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England...
's personal interest of £10,000. They are opposed by the Portuguese authorities in Macao (as their agreements with China require) and quickly infuriate the Ming authorities. Later in the summer they easily capture one of the forts, and spend several weeks engaged in low-level fighting and smuggling. After being forced to seek Portuguese help in the release of three hostages, they leave the Pearl River on 27 December. It is unclear whether they returned home.
Between the UK and the Qing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
(1644 - 1911)
- 1685 Michael Shen Fu-Tsung
Michael Alphonsius Shen Fu-Tsung, also Michel Sin, Michel Chin-fo-tsoung, Shen Fo-tsung, Shen Fuzong , was a Chinese man from Nanking and a Jesuit convert who was brought to Europe by the Belgian priest Father Philippe Couplet, Procurator of the China Jesuits in Rome...
visits Britain and meets James IIJames II & VII was King of England and Ireland as James II, and Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
.
- 1793 George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney
George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney, KB was a British statesman, colonial administrator and diplomat.-Biography:...
led the Macartney EmbassyThe Macartney Embassy, also called the Macartney Mission, was a British embassy to China in 1793. The Mission ran from 1792–94 . It is named for the first envoy of Great Britain to China, George Macartney, who led the endeavour...
to BeijingBeijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
- ca. 1820-1830 - British merchants turn Lintin Island
Nei Lingding Island Nei Lingding Island Nei Lingding Island shore of the estuary, it is administratively...
in the Pearl River estuaryThe Pearl River Delta in southern People's Republic of China is the low-lying area alongside the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Since economic liberalisation was adopted by the Chinese government in the late 1970s, the delta has become one of the leading...
into a center of drug tradeDrug trade and terms that redirect here can mean:* Illegal drug trade, for illegal supply of controlled drugs* Pharmaceutical industry, for production of drugs for licensed medical uses* Alcoholic beverage industry, for production of alcoholic drinks...
.
- 1839-42 First Opium War
The First Opium War or the First Anglo-Chinese War was fought between the British East India Company and the Qing Dynasty of China from 1839 to 1842 with the aim of forcing China to allow free trade, particularly in opium...
- 1841 - Convention of Chuenpeh, intended to end the war and to cede Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
to the British, signed, but never ratified
- 29 August, 1842 - Treaty of Nanking
The Treaty of Nanking or Treaty of Nanjing, signed 29 August 1842, was the unequal treaty which marked the end of the First Opium War between the British and Qing Empires of 1839–42...
ends the war. It includes the cession of Hong Kong IslandHong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
to the British, and opening of five treaty portsTreaty ports were port cities in China, Japan and Korea opened to foreign trade by the Unequal Treaties.The first five treaty ports in China were established at the conclusion of the First Opium War by the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842...
to international trade
- October 1843 - Treaty of the Bogue
The Treaty of the Bogue was an agreement between China and the United Kingdom, which was concluded in October 1843 in order to supplement the previous Treaty of Nanking...
supplements Treaty of NankingThe Treaty of Nanking or Treaty of Nanjing, signed 29 August 1842, was the unequal treaty which marked the end of the First Opium War between the British and Qing Empires of 1839–42...
by granting extraterritoriality to British subjects in China and most favored nation status to Britain
- 1856-60 Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war of the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856–1860.- Names :"Second Opium War" and "Arrow War" are both used...
- June 1858 - The Treaty of Tientsin
Several documents referred as "Treaty of Tien-tsin" were signed in Tianjin in June 1858, ending the first part of the Second Opium War . France, United Kingdom, Russia, and the United States were the parties involved...
is signed by Lord ElginJames Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine KT, GCB, PC was a British colonial administrator and diplomat, he was the Governor General of the Province of Canada, a High Commissioner in charge of opening trades with China and Japan, and Viceroy of India.Most notably he had helped...
- October 1860 - the sack and destruction of the Old Summer Palace
The Old Summer Palace, known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Brightness , and originally called the Imperial Gardens , was a complex of palaces and gardens northwest of the walls of the Imperial City in Beijing, built in the 18th and early 19th century, where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty...
by the victorious British and French troops
- October 1860 - Convention of Peking
The Convention of Peking or the First Convention of Peking is the name used for three different treaties, which were concluded between Qing China and the United Kingdom, France, and Russia.-Background:...
ends the war. Kowloon PeninsulaThe Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collectively known as Kowloon....
is ceded to Britain
- 26 March 1861 - In accordance with the treaties, a British Legation
A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. The distinction between a legation and embassy was dropped following the Second World War, as all diplomatic representative offices were now designated as embassies, or high commissions.A...
opens in BeijingBeijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
(Peking). In the following few years consulates open throughout the Empire, including HankouHankou was one of the three cities the merging of which formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
(Wuhan' is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in central China. It lies at the east of Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han River...
), TakaoThe British Consulate at Takao is a former British consulate built in 1865 in the city of Kaohsiung in south-west Taiwan and was the first western-style building built on the island. It has been designated as a 2nd Class Historic Site by the Taiwanese Ministry of the Interior.Located in Gushan...
(KaohsiungKaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan. It is enclosed by Kaohsiung County, and faces the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into eleven districts...
), Tamsui (near TaipeiTaipei is the largest city in Taiwan and has served as the de facto capital of the Republic of China since the Chinese Civil War in 1949. It is situated on the Danshui River, almost at the northern tip of the island, about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
), ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level...
and XiamenXiamen , also known as Amoy , is a coastal sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It looks out to the Taiwan Strait and borders Quanzhou to the north and Zhangzhou to the south....
.
- 1868 - The Yangzhou riot
The Yangzhou riot of August 22-23, 1868 was a brief crisis in Anglo-Chinese relations during the late Qing Dynasty. The crisis was fomented by the gentry of Yangzhou who opposed the presence of foreign Christian missionaries in the city, who claimed that they were legally residing under the...
- 1877 - A Chinese Legation opens in London
[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
under Guo Songdao (Kuo Sung-tao)
- 1896 - Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Republican China, Sun is frequently referred to as the Father of the Nation. Sun played an instrumental role in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in October 1911, the last imperial dynasty of China...
is detained in the Chinese Legation in London. Under pressure from the British public, the Foreign Office secures his release.
- 9 June, 1898 - Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory
The Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting an Extension of Hong Kong Territory or the Second Convention of Peking was a lease signed between Qing Dynasty China and the United Kingdom in 1898.-Background:...
(Second Convention of Peking): New TerritoriesNew Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
are leased to Britain for 99 years, and are incorporated in Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
- 1898 - The British obtain a lease on Weihai
Weihai ; was known during the colonial period as the Weihai Garrison or Weihaiwei, and sometimes as Port Edward; is a prefecture-level city in eastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China...
Harbour, ShandongFor the people of Shandong, see Shandong people' is a coastal province of eastern People's Republic of China. Its abbreviation is Lǔ, after the state of Lu that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
, to run for as long as the Russians lease Port ArthurLüshunkou is a district in the municipality of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Also called Lüshun City or Lüshun Port, it was formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun....
. (The reference to the Russians was replaced with one to the Japanese after 1905The Russo-Japanese War or the Manchurian Campaign in some English sources, was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
).
- 1900-1901 - The Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, more properly called the Boxer Uprising, or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in Chinese, was a violent anti-imperialism, anti-Christian movement by the "Righteous Fists of Harmony,” Yihe tuan义和团 or Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists in China , between 1898 and 1901...
- 1901 - The Boxer Protocol
The Boxer Protocol was a protocol signed on September 7, 1901 between the Qing Empire of China and the Eight-Nation Alliance—Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—plus Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands after China's defeat in the...
- 1906 - Anglo-Chinese Treaty on Tibet, which the UK interprets as limiting China to suzerainty over the region
- 1909 - The Japanese Government claims foreign consulates in Taiwan; the British consulates at Tamsui and Takoa close the following year.
Between the UK and the Republic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it...
(1912 - )
- 1930 - Weihai
Weihai ; was known during the colonial period as the Weihai Garrison or Weihaiwei, and sometimes as Port Edward; is a prefecture-level city in eastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China...
Harbour returned to China.
- 17 May 1935 - Following decades of Chinese complaints about the low rank of Western diplomats, the British Legation in Beijing is upgraded to an Embassy.
- 1936-37 - British Embassy moves to Nanjing
' , abbreviated in Chinese as Ning , is the capital of China's Jiangsu Province, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and culture...
(Nanking), following the earlier transfer there of the Chinese capital.
- 1941-45 - Chinese and British fight side by side against Japan in World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
- 6 January 1950 - Her Majesty's Government
Her Majesty's Government is the government of the United Kingdom. Under the Constitution of the United Kingdom, executive authority notionally lies with the monarch but is exercised in practice by her ministers...
(HMG) removes recognition from the Republic of China. The Nanjing Embassy is then wound down. The Tamsui Consulate is kept open under the guise of liaison with the Taiwan Provincial Government.
- 13 March 1972 - The Tamsui Consulate is closed.
- February 1976 - The Anglo Taiwan Trade Committee is formed to promote trade between Britain and Taiwan.
- 30 June 1980 - Fort San Domingo is seized by the Republic of China authorities in lieu of unpaid rent.
- 1989 - The Anglo Taiwan Trade Committee begins issuing British visas in Taipei.
- 1993 - British Trade and Cultural Office opened in Taipei.
Between the UK and the People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
(1950 - )
- 20 April 1949 - The People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on 1 August 1927—celebrated annually as "PLA Day"—as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
attacks HMS Amethyst travelling to the British Embassy in Nanjing and forces a successful British rescue mission. Since the Communist Party of ChinaThe Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and the ruling political party of the People's Republic of China and the world's largest political party...
does not recognize the UK or the Unequal TreatiesUnequal Treaties is a term used in reference to the type of treaties signed by several East Asian states, including Qing Dynasty China, late Tokugawa Japan, and late Joseon Korea, with Western powers and the post-Meiji Restoration Empire of Japan, during the 19th and early 20th centuries...
, they argue the ship has no right to be on the Yangtse.
- 6 January 1950 - HMG recognises the PRC as the government of China and posts a chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission on a temporary basis.-Chargés d’affaires:...
ad interim in BeijingBeijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
(Peking). The British expect a rapid exchange of Ambassadors. However, the PRC demands concessions on the Chinese seat at the UNChina's seat in the United Nations and membership of the United Nations Security Council has been occupied by the People's Republic of China since October 25, 1971. The representatives of the PRC first attended the UN, including the United Nations Security Council, as China's representatives on...
and the foreign assets of the Republic of China, perhaps designed to humiliate the author of the Unequal TreatiesUnequal Treaties is a term used in reference to the type of treaties signed by several East Asian states, including Qing Dynasty China, late Tokugawa Japan, and late Joseon Korea, with Western powers and the post-Meiji Restoration Empire of Japan, during the 19th and early 20th centuries...
.
- c.1950 - British companies seeking trade with the PRC form the Group of 48 (now China-Britain Business Council
The China-Britain Business Council is the leading British organisation promoting trade and investment between the UK and China.The objective of CBBC is to assist any British company or organisation to do business in China...
).
- 17 June 1954 - Following talks at the Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference was a conference between many countries that agreed to end hostilities and restore peace in French Indochina and Vietnam...
, the PRC agrees to station a chargé d'affaires in London. The same talks resulted in an agreement to re-open a British office in Shanghai, and the grant of exit visas to several British businessmen confined to the mainlandMainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which are under the jurisdiction of the PRC but run on different economic and...
since 1951.
- 1950 - British Commonwealth Forces in Korea successfully defend Hill 282 against Chinese and North Korean forces in the Battle of Pakchon
The Battle of Pakchon was a battle in the Korean War between the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade and the Chinese 117th Division. The battle took place on 5 November 1950 around the small village of Pakchon and around the Taeryoung River, ten days after the Chinese launched the Communist First...
, part of the Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
.
- 1950 - The Chinese People's Volunteer Army
The Chinese People's Volunteer Army was the armed forces deployed by the Chinese government during the Korean War. Although all units in the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army belonged to the People's Liberation Army , the People's Volunteer Army was separately constituted in order to prevent an...
defeat the British at the Battle of Chosin ReservoirThe Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Changjin Lake Campaign , was a decisive battle in the Korean War...
, part of the Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
- 1951 - The Chinese defeat the British at the Battle of the Imjin River
The Battle of the Imjin River took place 22 April – 25 April 1951 during the Korean War. Chinese Communist forces attacked UN positions on the lower Imjin River in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough and recapture the South Korean capital Seoul...
after numerous casualties in a pyrrhic victoryA Pyrrhic victory is a victory with devastating cost to the victor.-Origin:The phrase is named after King Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose army suffered irreplaceable casualties in defeating the Romans at Heraclea in 280 BC and Asculum in 279 BC during the Pyrrhic War...
, in the Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
.
- 1951 - Chinese forces attacking outnumbered British Commonwealth forces are held back in the Battle of Kapyong
The Battle of Kapyong was waged during the Korean War. The battle began on 22 April and lasted until 25 April 1951. The Chinese People's Liberation Army assaulted positions held by United Nations forces from Australia, Canada and Britain...
.
- 1951 - British Commonwealth forces successfully capture Hill 317 from Chinese forces in the Battle of Maryang San.
- 1953 - Outnumbered British forces successfully defend Yong Dong against Chinese forces in the Battle of the Hook
The third Battle of the Hook was a battle of the Korean War that took place between a United Nations force, consisting mostly of British troops, supported on their flanks by American and Turkish artillery units against a predominantly Chinese force...
.
- 1954 - The Sino-British Trade Committee formed as semi-official trade body (later merged with the Group of 48).
- 1961 - The UK begins to vote in the General Assembly for PRC membership of the United Nations
China's seat in the United Nations and membership of the United Nations Security Council has been occupied by the People's Republic of China since October 25, 1971. The representatives of the PRC first attended the UN, including the United Nations Security Council, as China's representatives on...
. It has abstained on votes since 1950.
- June 1967 - Red Guard
Red Guards were a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people in the China, who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 and 1967, during the Cultural Revolution.-Origins:...
s break into the British LegationA legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. The distinction between a legation and embassy was dropped following the Second World War, as all diplomatic representative offices were now designated as embassies, or high commissions.A...
in Beijing and assault three diplomats and a secretary. The PRC authorities refuse to condemn the action. British officials in Shanghai were attacked in a separate incident, as the PRC authorities attempted to close the office there.
- June-August 1967 - Hong Kong 1967 riots
The Hong Kong 1967 riots began in May 1967. It was caused by pro-communist leftists in Hong Kong, inspired by the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China , who turned a labour dispute into large scale demonstrations against British colonial rule. Demonstrators clashed violently with...
. The commander of the Guangzhou Military RegionThe Guangzhou Military Region is a military administrative region located in the south of the People's Republic of China. In May 1949, the Central China Military Region was formed. In March 1955, it was divided into two, the Guangzhou MR and Wuhan MR...
, Huang YongshengHuang Yongsheng was a general of the China's People's Liberation Army.Huang Yongsheng was born in Xianning prefecture of Hubei province....
, secretly suggests invading Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
, but his plan is vetoed by Zhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
.
- July 1967 - Hong Kong 1967 riots
The Hong Kong 1967 riots began in May 1967. It was caused by pro-communist leftists in Hong Kong, inspired by the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China , who turned a labour dispute into large scale demonstrations against British colonial rule. Demonstrators clashed violently with...
- Chinese People's Liberation ArmyThe People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on 1 August 1927—celebrated annually as "PLA Day"—as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
troops fire on British Hong Kong Police, killing 5 of them.
- 23 July 1967-25 September 1969 - Anthony Grey, a young Reuters journalist, is kept under house arrest in Beijing, in retaliation for the imprisonment of Communist journalists in Hong Kong.
- 23 August 1967 - A Red Guard
Red Guards were a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people in the China, who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 and 1967, during the Cultural Revolution.-Origins:...
mob sacks the British Legation in Beijing, slightly injuring the chargé d'affaires and other staff, in response to British arrests of Communist agents in Hong Kong. A ReutersReuters Group Limited is a UK-based, Canadian-controlled news service and former financial market data provider that provides reports from around the world to newspapers and broadcasters. News reporting once accounted for less than 10% of the company's income. Its main focus was on supplying the...
correspondent, Anthony Grey, was also imprisoned by the PRC authorities.
- 29 August 1967 - Armed Chinese diplomats attack British police guarding the Chinese Legation in London.
- 13 March 1972 - PRC accords full recognition to HMG, permitting the exchange of ambassadors. HMG acknowledges the PRC's position on Taiwan without accepting it.
- 1982 - During negotiations with Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post....
about the return of Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
, Deng XiaopingDeng Xiaoping was a prominent Chinese politician, statesman, theorist, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng became a reformer who led China towards market economics...
tells her that China can simply invade Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
. It was revealed later (2007) that such plans indeed existed.
- 1984 - Sino-British Joint Declaration
The Sino-British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, was signed by the Prime Ministers, Zhao Ziyang and Margaret...
.
- 30 June-1 July 1997 - Return of Hong Kong to China
The transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as the Reunification by Chinese and the Handover by British press, took place on 1 July 1997...
.
- 29 October 2008 - HMG recognizes Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north of the Himalayas. It is home to the indigenous Tibetan people, and to some other ethnic groups such as Monpas and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han Chinese people. Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average...
as an integral part of the PRC. It had previously only recognized Chinese "suzerainty" (de-facto control) over the region.
Statesmen
- Sir Robert Hart
Sir Robert Hart, 1st Baronet GCMG , born in 1835 in Armagh, Ireland was a British consular official in China, who served from 1863-1911 as the second Inspector General of China's Imperial Maritime Custom Service .-Early life:Robert Hart was born into a devout Methodist family in Dungannon Street,...
was an Scots-Irish stateman who served the Chinese Imperial Government as Inspector General of Maritime Customs from 1863 to 1907.
- George Ernest Morrison
George Ernest Morrison , also known as Chinese Morrison, was an Australian adventurer and The Times Peking correspondent.-Early life:...
resident correspondent of The Times, London, at Peking in 1897, and political adviser to the President of China from 1912 to 1920.
Diplomats
- Sir Thomas Wade - first professor of Chinese at Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge , located in the City of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, is the second oldest university in the English-speaking world and the fourth oldest in Europe...
- Herbert Giles
Herbert Allen Giles was a British diplomat and sinologist, educated at Charterhouse. He modified a Mandarin Chinese Romanization system earlier established by Thomas Wade, resulting in the widely known Wade-Giles Chinese transliteration system...
- second professor of Chinese at Cambridge UniversityThe University of Cambridge , located in the City of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, is the second oldest university in the English-speaking world and the fourth oldest in Europe...
- Harry Parkes
Sir Harry Smith Parkes was a 19th century British diplomat who worked mainly in China and Japan...
- Sir Claude MacDonald
- Sir Ernest Satow served as Minister in China, 1900-06.
- John Newell Jordan followed Satow
- Sir Christopher Hum
Sir Christopher Owen Hum KCMG is the 41st Master of Gonville and Caius College, one of the oldest colleges of the University of Cambridge. He has held this post since his installation on 16 January 2006, prior to which he was Her Majesty's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China...
- Augustus Raymond Margary
Augustus Raymond Margary, born in Belgaum, India on 26 May 1846, died in Tengyue, China on 21 February 1875, British diplomat.-Education and early career:...
Merchants
- Lancelot Dent
Lancelot Dent was a 19th century British merchant in the Far East.He was christened on August 4, 1799 in Crosby Ravensworth, Westmorland, England, son of William and Jane Dent....
- Keswick family
The Keswick family are a business dynasty of Scottish origin associated with the Far East since 1855 and in particular the conglomerate Jardine Matheson....
- William Jardine
Dr. William Jardine was a ship surgeon who went into the agency trading and opium smuggling businesses in China, where he became a powerful merchant and was instrumental in starting the First Opium War.-Early life:...
Missionaries
- Robert Morrison
- Hudson Taylor
James Hudson Taylor 戴德生 , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission . Taylor spent 51 years in China...
- Cambridge Seven
The Cambridge Seven were seven students from Cambridge University, who in 1885, decided to become missionaries in China; the seven were:*Charles Thomas Studd*Montagu Harry Proctor Beauchamp*Stanley P. Smith*Arthur T. Polhill-Turner*Dixon Edward Hoste...
- Eric Liddell
Eric Henry Liddell was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international and missionary. His surname is and rhymes with fiddle.Liddell was the winner of the Men's 400 metres at the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris...
- Gladys Aylward
Gladys Aylward was the Protestant missionary to China whose story was told in the book The Small Woman by Alan Burgess, published in 1957...
Academics
- Frederick W. Baller
Frederick William Baller was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, Chinese linguist, translator, educator and sinologist.- Missionary career:...
- James Legge
James Legge was a noted Scottish sinologist, a Scottish Congregationalist, representative of the London Missionary Society in Malacca and Hong Kong , and first professor of Chinese at Oxford University...
(first professor of Chinese at the University of OxfordThe University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
)
- Joseph Needham
Noel Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham, CH, FRS, FBA , also known as Li Yuese , was a British academic and sinologist known for his research and writing on the history of Chinese science. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1941; and he was elected a fellow of the British Academy in 1971...
- Jonathan Spence
Jonathan D. Spence is a British-born historian and public intellectual specializing in Chinese history. He has been Sterling Professor of History at Yale University since 1993. His most famous book is The Search for Modern China, which has become one of the standard texts on the last several...
See also
- Japan–United Kingdom relations
- People's Republic of China–France relations
- Foreign relations of Imperial China
Imperial China had a long tradition of foreign relations. From the Qin Dynasty until the Qing Dynasty, Chinese civilization had an impact upon neighboring countries and distant ones, while China's culture was transformed gradually by outside influences as well.-Background:In pre-modern times, the...
- China Policy Institute
The China Policy Institute is a centre for research into Chinese Policy and Sino-British relations at the University of Nottingham, England. It is located in the University's China House and in Berners Street in London. Its Chairman is Elizabeth Wright, formerly a Foreign Office diplomat and...
- University of Nottingham Ningbo, China
The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China is a campus of the University of Nottingham, UK situated in the coastal city of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, near Shanghai.The campus is a joint venture partnership with the Wanli Education Group...
- Foreign relations of the Republic of China
The Republic of China whose effective jurisdiction is now limited to the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, the Matsu Islands and some other minor islands, is currently recognized by states, including the Holy See as sole and legitimate representative of China...
(from 1911...)
- Foreign relations of the People's Republic of China
The foreign relations of the People's Republic of China guides the way in which it interacts with foreign nations. As a great power and emerging superpower, China's foreign policy and strategic thinking is highly influential. China officially states it "unswervingly pursues an independent foreign...
(after 1949)
- Foreign relations of the Republic of China
The Republic of China whose effective jurisdiction is now limited to the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, the Matsu Islands and some other minor islands, is currently recognized by states, including the Holy See as sole and legitimate representative of China...
(...to today)
- British Chinese
British Chinese , including British-born Chinese , are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in or have migrated to the United Kingdom. They are part of the Chinese diaspora, or overseas Chinese...
(Chinese people in the UK)
Further reading
- Pratt, JT. China and Britain (Collins, 1944).
- Gerson, JJ. Horatio Nelson Lay and Sino-British relations. (Harvard University Press, 1972)
- Ruxton, Ian (ed.), The Diaries of Sir Ernest Satow, British Envoy in Peking (1900-06) in two volumes, Lulu Press Inc., April 2006 ISBN 9781411688049 (Volume One); ISBN 9781411688056 (Volume Two)
- Winchester, Simon
Simon Winchester, OBE , is a British author and journalist who lives in the United States and Scotland.Winchester studied geology at St Catherine's College, Oxford before working in Africa and on offshore oil rigs. He then spent a twenty-year career as a foreign correspondent for The Guardian,...
. The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom. Harper (May 6, 2008). ISBN 9780060884598
External sources