| William Woodville Rockhill(1853-1914)was an academic diplomat and senior American expert on China affairs.He was closely connected with China throughout his life.In his youth,he was obsessed with Tibetan studies in China and got remarkable achievements in the field of Western Sinology,which transformed him from a scholar into one of few American diplomats by chance.As a leading expert on China affairs of the period,he played an important role in the transition period of American diplomacy towards China during the late 19 th and early 20 th century.Being a policy maker and practitioner of U.S.foreign policy toward China,he drew up "Open Door" diplomatic note to China,which was the foundation of diplomacy with China in the20 th century.After "Open Door" policy came into force,William Rockhill,designated as presidential envoy of the United States,participated in the whole process of negotiations on the Peace Protocol of 1901 during the Boxer Movement(1900-1901).During work at the State Council(1901-1905),he was a practitioner of U.S.foreign policy toward China and as minister of the American Embassy in China(1905-1909)he stood on the diplomatic front lines handling many important events between China and the United States with his rich diplomatic experience including the boycott of American goods,dispute over railway rights between Canton-Hankow,the northeast open port,the Boxer Indemnity refund and Tibet issue.In terms of business portals,William Rockhill insisted on equal opportunity,opposed the excessive demands made by foreign powers on China and gave the Qing government the time to rehabilitate to fulfill the treaty obligations while reducing the concern that the rise of democracy in China threatened American commercial interests.With regard to educational portal,William Rockhill advocated that the balance of the refund should be used for Chinese students to study in the United States to train future pro-American "young leaders",which objectively promoted the development of modern Chinese education.As for the open frontier gateway,he stuck to principle of China’s territorial and administrative integrity.He insisted that Tibet is part of the Chinese empire and that the Dalai Lama should obey the central government which reflected the early U.S.policy toward Tibet.In essence,America’s influence in China was limited,ensuring "China’s integrity" was more conducive to U.S.interests in China.Compared to other diplomats,William Rockhill had a better understanding of China’s history and reality,he was sympathetic to China’s internal and external troubles.Meanwhile,he was good at taking a long-term view and handling China-Us relations,he promoted the development of Sino-US relations in the late Qing Dynasty under the premise of safeguarding the interests of the United States in China.American foreign policy is not only the continuation of domestic policy,but also the understanding and implementation of American foreign policy by diplomats.William Rockhill’s proposal and practice of the "open door" policy greatly influenced the development trend of the United States’ China policy.For such an important figure,there are no systematic research works.This paper,under the perspective of "Open Door",discussed William Rockhill’s diplomatic activities towards China,and further deepened the understanding of Sino-US relations in that period. |
