The China mission started in August of 1941 about the same time the Malay mission. But like STS101 its initial life was short lived.

It was proposed by Clark Kerr that a group be set up in china just like STS101 to train agents to operate inside china to harass the Japanese occupiers. This group were called "The China Commando Group" based in Chunking in March 1942; they managed to train a few Chinese in the art of guerrilla warfare.

This soon came to an end as General Chow Wei-Lung Chief of the Chinese forces made it known that he did not trust any outside government to run agencies of this nature within China, and would much prefer to do there own as he was averse to British sponsored groups

It was pointed out that Chang Kai-Shek had agreed to setting up the training school.  However this had no effect on Wei-Lung and SOE was ordered to hand over all arms, storehouses and ancillary equipment to the Chinese’s Army.

Findlay Andrew Killerys man was sent to Chunking to fill the gap. He was well known to most of the leading figures in China, as he has been present before the Japanese invasion

He was able to influence the leadership with his friendship with General Wang Ping-Shen who was head of the Institute International Relations a body that gathered intelligence in Japan and Japanese controlled territories.

Although it was mainly concerned with intelligence gathering and left out SOEs intention of sabotage, it did help with the information it provided from Japan Formosa (Taiwan) and Malaya to the allied forces.

It was split into three districts.  Shanghi to cover Japan, Formosa and Manchuria, the second was in the northern parts of China and lastly the third area was controlled from Hong Kong which Brittan was interested in.

Although SOE did not provide any Arms, what it did supply radios and the knowledge to use them, plus the expertise in Guerrilla warfare in the form of British trained demolitions officers kept them with an inside informant as to what the Chinese were getting up to.

Later it China was deemed to be within the American sphere of the War in the far east so SOE lost most of its gains to the American OSS. They fared a little better as America was not seen as an Empire but more as a Republican nation.

Part taken from "Bangkok Top Secret" Gilchrist. and records in the TNA. HS 7/120