File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/marxism-international.9710, message 540


Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 18:58:46 -0500
From: james m blaut <70671.2032-AT-CompuServe.COM>
Subject: M-I: Question on Hong-Kong...


Denis:

Here's a beginning at least.

Hong Kong' history is basically the history of empire: Britain trying
to hold on to a bitsy piece of China in order to dominate trade with China.
Before 1949, refugees from the civil war flooded in but so did masses of
capital belonging to fleeing mainland Chninese capitalists. This huge well
of capital and cheap labor started the new phase of industriual growth.

Interestingly, although Hong Kong and Singap;ore were classical colonies,
Britain was savvy enough not to exploit them in the usual colonial way but
to help them to flourish as regional trade canters, very beneficial to
Britain. When I lived in S'pore the biggest commodity market in the world
(I was told) was the S'pore rubber market. Or maybe it was the biggest
commodity futures market. Can't recall. In the 19th century S'pore was
already the dominant commerciakl center for SE Asia -- yet the city was
founded only in c.1820.

But you can't separate economics from all the rest of the stuff.

En lucha 

Jim

P.S. Good stuff that GEO struggle.  


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