Reviewing the 1943 Sino-British Treaty Negotiations: The United States’ Role in Ending British Imperialism in China

Abstract

ABSTRACT The 1943 Sino-British treaty negotiations, although widely considered as the end point of British imperialism in China, have not been carefully studied in the current historical works. The negotiations were unexpectedly dominated by the United States rather than the two negotiating parties, either Britain or China. It was due to Washington's initiative and pressure that London finally acceded to an early and broader annulment of its treaty privileges in China. However, the role that the United States played between China and Britain was complicated. Washington was averse to the Nationalists’ claims for an earlier reversion of the New Territories of Hong Kong to China. In its opinion, the primary aim of Sino-British and Sino-American treaty negotiations was to improve the tripartite alliance and encourage China's morale in fighting with Japan but not to put an end to British imperialism in China, especially as this carried a risk of deteriorating relations between Britain and the United States. As a result, the end of British imperialism happened earlier in China, but not completely, leaving problems relating Hong Kong and Tibet unresolved. The negotiations demonstrated the complex nature of the China-Britain-American alliance in the initial years of the Pacific War.