The Collision Between Two International Systems: On The Late Qing Dynasty Diplomacy In The Westernization Movement Period

Qing China was in the process of contact, collision and competition of two different regional systems. Sino-Western relations can be divided into three period from the perspective of the interactions between the two systems since the Opium War: During the first period between two Opiums wars, the late Qing Dynasty stuck to the Huayi Order and dealt with foreign relations according to Huayiguan, though it was forced signing several unequal treaties with theWestern Powers; during the second period when the Westernation Movement developed, the diplomacy of Qing shew the characteristics of transitivity, trying to hold on to traditional diplomatic concepts and policies, at the same time adopted and made use of some principles of the western system; the third period was the late 19th century and early 20th century, with the failure of the Westernization Movement, the beginning of the new wave of imperial partition of Chinese territories, Qing China was blew down into the extension of modern Nation-State System, phsically and conceptionally.The Westernization Movement period served as a link between the past and the future during the long competition between the two international systems. The diplomatic activities represented transitivity, contradictoriness and dualism in concepts, principles and practices. Based on the academic publications, using the methods of history and intenational relations, the thesis examines the backgrounds of the Diplomacy, describes the characteristics of the Diplomacy, and analyzes the reasons of the Diplomacy.There are three parts in the thesis.The first part briefly introduces the power strucutres, basic concepts and the rules of conduct of the Tribute System and the Westphalia System, and examines the interactions of the two international systems, especially how did they treat the other's rules and modes.The second part describes the main characteristics of the Diplomacy, the mixed diplomatic concepts, the binary interaction paths and the dual diplomatic institutions.The third part concludes that the Diplomacy was the reflection of the competition of the two international systems, the result of the outside pressure and the active choice responded to the pressure.