Communist China's integration into world diplomatic and trading systems in the 1950s was troublesome: relations with British governments and British business interests were no exception. The book examines the origins of `Two Chinas', the impact of the Korean War and focuses above all on British government policy towards China. It argues that the most significant influence on government policy was the relationship between the state and business elites; a symbiotic relationship that coalesced around an imperial concern: Hong Kong.

Inhalt

List of Tables - Acknowledgements - List of Abbreviations - Introduction - History Revisited: Sino-British Political Relations, January-June 1950 - The Origins of 'Two Chinas', 1950-54 - Roll Back Not Relations, June-October 1950 - Fear and Loathing, November 1950-October 1951 - Empire Retained: Hong Kong, 1950-54 - Ending Informal Empire: British Business in China, 1950-54 - A Most Unfavoured Trading Nation: China, 1950-54 - Stalemate and Restraint, November 1951-July 1953 - Rapprochement Denied, July-December 1953 - Conclusions - Appendix - Notes - Bibliography - Index