WI: France keeps Guangzhouwan until 1997

Between 1898 and 1945 Guangzhouwan, part of the modern city of Zhanjiang, was ruled by the French on a 99 year lease. In 1945 the French agreed to return it to the Nationalists rather than reoccupy it for the remaining 42 years.

Say they don't do that, and like Britain they hold out for the extent of their lease.

Could it, like Hong Kong and Macau be a disproportionately important part of the Chinese economy?

How would the French handle something like the 1966/67 pro-Beijing unrest that Macau and Hong Kong faced? (the Portuguese largely bowed to the leftist demands while the British cracked down hard)

How would having to negotiate with both France and Britain alter the "One Country Two Systems" agreement come 1997?
 
It would probably be called "Kwangchow Wan" in English, not "Guangzhouwan", like how we say "Hong Kong" and "Macao"/"Macau" instead of "Xianggang" and "Aomen". (and sometimes still "Canton" instead of "Guangzhou", the only one of those old-fashioned city names in China that has survived even somewhat into the 21st century, probably because the Cantonese language is well known)
 
Along with HK and Macau, I have pondered this with no WW2, just perhaps a KMT/CCP civil war, maybe just a Non-Japanese "war" of some lesser intensity. At minimum if the KMT ultimately gains control the overriding desire will be to vanquish the unequal treaties and retake these lost pieces of China, few alt-TLs seem to explore the nationalism of the KMT and seem to assume China will be friendlier than the PRC was, my opinion is they are less so, a KMT led China will quickly move to kick out the British and French, the friction will be far higher. Also the assumption that HK will take off or that any other such city will prosper in a non- PRC China is equally false, HK prospered because of the closed nature of China and the exodus from Shanghai under the PRC. Here development will bypass these colonial backwaters much more, China will shun them and do their best to make it so uncomfortable that they concede the leased early. A non communist China is in my opinion way less favorable to such remnants of the past.
 
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