An Analysis Of The Characteristics Of Multilateral Diplomacy Of Nanjing National Government (1928-1937)

In 1928, the Nanking Government ruled China on a pro forma basis. Influenced by the external situation and domestic affairs, the Nanking Government faced three missions in the first decade of its ruling. First, stabilize the regime; second, maintain the national security and sovereignty; third, improve the international prestige and influence. With national strength remained weak, the Nanking government chose to pursue its foreign policy targets through both bi-literal and multilateral diplomacy.The multilateral diplomatic activities of the Nanking government can be classified into political area, law area and other areas according to the different themes. To elaborate, the Nanking government took part in the work of the League of Nations actively and intensified its cooperation with the organization in the fields of anti-opium and technical advancement; the Nanking government valued international law, set a specific foreign affairs committee in the Legislature to review international treaties, sent representatives to participate in The Hague Arbitration Institution and valued the importance of being members in important international treaties. In other multilateral diplomacy areas, the Nanking government joined numerous of international activities and meetings. Besides, the Nanking government introduced the international concierge etiquette. The Nanking government invited countries of the world to attend the state funeral of Sun Yat-sen as host country to show the world an image of an internationalized new government.To summarize the multilateral-diplomacy of the Nanking government in its first decade, it has shown the following features: First, Comprehensiveness. The diplomatic activities that the Nanking Government participated in in the first decade reached high level in terms of number and covered a wide range of areas, with a special focus on political and economic sectors; Second,high level of initiative. Instead of being passive in international affairs, the Nanking Government studied international concierge etiquette actively and invite the world to China for a national-level activity. Third, the diplomatic representatives and envoys of the Nanking Government were ofhistorical significance. In short, in the first decade of 1928-1937, limited by its own characteristic and the external factors such as the international society and the League of Nations, the Nanking government gained some achievements but failed to fulfill its anticipated goals. The Nanking Government gradually unfettered the limits posted by the imperialist powers, resume some of the national sovereignty, indirectly laid the foundation for the improvement of China’s status in the WW Ⅱ. From the perspective of the development of diplomatic cause, the Nanking government had make a big step for China’s multilateral diplomacy.