British Evolution Of The Guangzhou Government's Policy And The Introduction Of The New Policy Toward China

In 1920s, the situation of China changed greatly. The national consciousness had been aroused in China. Especially in the southeast of China, the Canton government sustained the boycott of the British goods in their field. And because of the Cantonese' action, the British position in China had become worse. The loss of the British was greatness in the boycott, so the British government had to reconsider their policy in China carefully. There were several opinions within the British government. When the strike began, some people thought that the UK government should adjust their present policy in China. But the others didn't agree with them. The governor of Hongkong's attitude was very hard. British took the policy of patient conciliation in fact. With the boycott developing, the hostile feeling to Britain became more and more deep. Whether admitting the Canton government as the Chinese government or not had been place before the British government. After the northern expedition beginning, the Strength of Canton government increased rapidly. The Canton government declared they will levy a special consumption tax on imports, together with a special production tax on exports. The statement made the British government very uneasy. In order to terminate the boycott and keep the role as the leader of the powers, the British government decided to change their policy in China. This paper focuses on the policy evolution of the Canton government and the British government in the course of settling the strike and boycott, especially focuses on the differences within the British government on the matter. I hope my study can show some new characters of the Sino-Britain relations in 1920s.