中日朝鲜通讯权之争与清朝外交政策的转变

中国和朝鲜之间传统的宗属关系,从19世纪70年代开始,受到日本等国愈来愈严重的挑战,清朝传统的宗属模式的外交政策也随之产生了转变。在中日争夺朝鲜通讯权这一外交交涉问题上,清政府的外交政策就表现得相当灵活,既充分利用了中朝之间传统的宗属关系,又吸收了近代外交的条约形式,从而挫败了日本的挑战,实现了对朝鲜通讯权的控制,并成功维护了与朝鲜的宗属关系。而这种宗属关系又是以新的形式和内容出现的,即传统宗属体制与近代条约体制相结合的新东亚宗属关系,体现了清末“传统外交”与“近代条约外交”并用的二重外交方式,这是清朝外交政策转变的重要趋势。

The dispute between China and Japan over the right of communication in Korea and the switch of foreign policy of the Qing government

Since the 1870s, the traditional relationship between China and Korea had faced severe challenge. Western countries and Japan did not accept this traditional relationship. The Qing government was driven into a situation in which its foreign policy must switch. In the diplomatic negotiations between China and Japan over a telegraphic communication line in Korea, the Qing government, by making full use of modern forms of treaty diplomacy as well as the traditional suzerain-dependency relations in overcoming the Japanese challenge, maintained the control over communication in Korea and the suzerain-dependency relations which emerged in a new form and content, that is, a combination of traditional suzerain-dependency relations and those of modern treaty diplomacy. That dualism was the tendency in the Qing dynasty's switch in foreign policy.