The China Association was a British merchants association established to represent the interests of British companies trading with China,

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and Japan. Members of the association included representatives of the large China Houses such as Swire & Sons; Jardine, Matheson & Co; Paton & Baldwins and

Shell Petroleum Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...

, in addition to Members of

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and retired consular and military officials returned from service in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

. The work of the China Association was to lobby the British Government and the authorities in China on behalf of its members. The Association often acted in conjunction with the

London Chamber of Commerce London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is London’s key hub for the business community, we support members’ businesses through a range of services, advocate on behalf of London’s business community in the most important forums of pol ...

, local Chambers and the

Federation of British Industries The Federation of British Industries (FBI) was an employers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by the Midlands industrialist Dudley Docker in 1916 as the United British Industries' Association, but renamed later that same year, it was in ...

Foundation

A proposal for the formation of a 'China Association' was 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. The first chairman was Sir

Alfred Dent Sir Alfred Dent, (12 December 1844 – 23 November 1927) was a British colonial merchant and entrepreneur. He was a founder of the British North Borneo Company. Life Dent was born in London, the son of Thomas Dent. He was educated at Eton Col ...

. The first Annual Dinner of the China Association was held in March 1890. Within the first year, the China Association enrolled 111 members. Elections for officers were held annually. The association was funded through entrance fees, membership subscriptions and by donation, with funds managed by

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (), commonly known as HSBC (), was the parent entity of the multinational HSBC banking group until 1991, and is now its Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific subsidiary. The largest bank in Hong K ...

Growth

Between 1892 and 1893, invitations were sent out to British residents in Hong Kong, China and Japan to form branch associations. The

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

Committee was constituted in December 1892, followed by

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in the same year and Hong Kong in June 1893. By 1895, membership stood at over 400 and its General Committee was seen as the recognised representative of British commercial interests in China.

Encouragement of Chinese language studies

In 1898, the China Association founded its Incorporated School of Practical Chinese. In 1917, this was merged with the

School of Oriental Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...

, where the Mandarin dialect was taught in the Far Eastern Department.

Divisions

By 1900, the association's strategy towards the British Government 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. Sir

Edward Ackroyd Lieutenant Colonel Edward Akroyd (1810–1887), English manufacturer, was born into a textile manufacturing family in 1810, and when he died in 1887, he still owned the family firm. He inherited "James Akroyd & Sons Ltd." from his father in 1 ...

suggested that the association change its strategy and reorganise into a 'League'. This proposal was voted down. The insurgents formed the China League, with R.A. Yerburgh as Chairman and George 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 China League later did merge with the China Association.

After World War II

In the aftermath of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, with the Communist advance across China and the Nationalist blockade of important cities such as

, 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 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.

Present

The China Association continues to exist. It holds quarterly lunches with a prominent guest speaker to share his thoughts, insight and wisdom on China. Sir Andrew Burns is the president, James Richards is the chairman. The association is administered by the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC).CBBC website. www.cbbc.org

References

External links

* {{Economic history of China History of foreign trade in China Business organisations based in the United Kingdom