Christmas Island, located in the Indian Ocean in the northwest of Australia, adjacent to the island of Java, is now part of Australia.
For a long time, the island accounted for a high proportion of Chinese, 70% of the residents were Chinese in modern times, and now this proportion is still maintained at more than 65%. Cantonese is even spoken on the island. This land was originally part of Singapore, which during the British colonial period included Singapore City, the Cocos Islands and Christmas Island.
In order to adapt to the new colonial situation, Singapore's residents migrated, forming the current demographic structure. However, after the end of World War II, Singapore began to pursue independence, and in order to cause problems for Singapore, the British gave Singapore's Cocos Island to Australia in 1955.
Christmas Island is attracting attention due to its strategic location, with its airport and port. Britain was not willing to give up the colony in vain, so in October 1958, Britain and Australia signed the Christmas Island Act 1958, selling Christmas Island to Australia at a low price of 2.9 million pounds, becoming Australian territory.
The money from this deal went directly into the pockets of the United Kingdom. This was in line with Britain's usual approach of creating trouble for the colonies before they became independent, weakening the colonies for better control and maximum benefit. Christmas Island was mainly used to make some profit so as not to be threatened by Singapore's independence in the future. This once again reveals the behavior of Britain in relation to the colonial question.
Today, Christmas Island has become a famous tourist destination in Australia, attracting a large number of tourists every year. It is a familiar and welcoming place for visitors from Guangdong, China, as most of the island's inhabitants speak Cantonese.