Studies On American Diplomatic Policy Toward China During The Period Of Late Qing (1840-1911)

American diplomatic policy toward China is an important part in the relationsbetween the two countries. Since the establishment of the United States, Americanmerchant ship "Chinese Queen" has opened the prelude of their trade relationswith China. Before Opium I, American Government didn't have direct contact withthe Qing Government, so there wasn't diplomatic policy toward China in a strictmeaning. Thus American diplomatic policy toward China during the period of LateQing, is the real beginning of the American diplomatic policy toward China. However,until today, it hasn't attracted attention of scholars independently. And mostof the treatises which referring to it, are lacked comprehensive and objectiveanalyses. This needs a more systematic and particular study of the academia.According to the order of history development,American diplomatic policytoward China during the period of Late Qing ,can be divided three parts: duringthe period of Two Opium War, from Opium II to the war between China and Japanin 1894-1895,and the Open Door Policy after that war.During the period of Two Opium War, American government had direct contact withthe Qing Government. Website Mandate for the first envoy to China in 1843, thefirst document paper made by the U.S. Government, established three principlesfor American diplomatic policy toward China during the period of Late Qing, whichare trade interest, peaceful way and neutral position. During these twenty years,American diplomatic policy toward the Qing Government can be characterized astrade interest, peaceful way, neutral position, and so on, which helped Americanpeople and trade to achieve the same treatment as other countries in China, andcaused some infringements on China's sovereignty. Yet, objectively speaking,American diplomatic policy during this period also provided advantageous externalconditions for China to join the world developing tide. But the start-upopportunity was delayed by the blind countermeasure of the Qing Government.From Opium II to the war between China and Japan in 1894-1895, Americandiplomatic policy toward China went into a steady period, and brewed new changeson the following basis, which inherited the peaceful principle in the former stage,as well as turned on the co-operative principle for the latter stage. Regardlessof the attitude toward Taiwan, and the advocate of co-operative policy, or thepositive intermediation for peaceful equipollence in China, were all showed theprinciple of American diplomatic policy toward China during the period of LateQing, which was expanding trade interest in China by peaceful measure. This justwas advantageous conditions for the Qing Government to accept the westernintercourse conventions initiatively. Nevertheless, facing the furiouscompetition among capitalistic countries with transition from free competitionto monopolization, the diplomatic modernization of the Qing Government wasundoubtedly slow and limited.After the war between China and Japan in 1894-1895, American Government putforward the open-door policy in China, which was the concentration of Americandiplomatic policy toward China in more than fifty years former, and also symbolizeda new phase for American diplomatic policy toward China. This indicated thedefinitude of American diplomatic policy toward China during the period of LateQing, which assured American trade interest in China, and objectively mitigatedthe crisis imperiling China'integrity, also provided helpful support for thedominion and modern reforms of the Qing Government. Meantime, the Qing Governmentestablished modern diplomatic organization and system by the way of carrying outthe compelling peaceful treaty in 1901.American diplomatic policy toward China during the period of Late Qing, wasmainly for expanding trade interest in peaceful way, thus requested the QingGovernment to take modern reforms, which undoubtedly provided advantageousexternal conditions for China to tend towards modernization independently. It isa pity that lacking of clear realization of the world developing trend, the QingGovernment couldn't throw off traditional fetters rapidly to meet with the worldtide, and the modernization of Chinese diplomacy possessed inevitably compellingmeaning by outside force, which lessons are worthy of seriously analyzeding andsummarizing.