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

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

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. Members of the association included representatives of the large China Houses such as Swire & Sons; Jardine, Matheson & Co; Paton & Baldwins and Shell Petroleum, 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 is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

. 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 The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is a business organization based in London, founded in 1882. It provides support for its members’ businesses through services and advocates on behalf of London’s business community. The Cham ...

, local Chambers and the

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

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. 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 abbreviated as HSBC and formerly known as HongkongBank (; styled ''Wayfoong'' by the bank), is the Hong Kong–based Asia-Pacific subsidiary of the HSBC banking group, for whi ...

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, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

Committee was constituted in December 1892, followed by

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

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 The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) 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 area ...

, 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 Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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