对晚清在南洋设立领事馆的反思

近代国家外交护侨的主要措施是建立领事馆。随着晚清朝野对华侨认识的逐渐转变,保护和利用华侨成为清朝华侨政策的主要内容。南洋在中国周边地区具重要战略地位,也是华侨聚居之地,应当是清朝设领的重点地区。但由于朝廷对设领的重要性认识不足,推动不力,且外交人才缺乏、驻外使节布局失误和外交事权分散等,因此屡误设领时机,导致在晚清时期中国所设的45个领事馆中,在南洋地区仅设立7个领事馆。

Re-examination in the Establishment of Consulates in Southeast Asia by the Late Qing Court

The main measure to protect the overseas subjects by modern countries is to establish consulates.With the late Qing government gradually changing its negative attitudes towards overseas Chinese,how to protect and use overseas Chinese became the main content of the government policies.As Southeast Asia was geographically a significant strategic area for China' security and where most of overseas Chinese were concentrated,the late Qing government should have tried its best to establish consulates as most as possible.However,due to short-sightedness to the importance of consulate system and shortage of qualified diplomatic personnel,the Qing court missed many opportunities to establish more consulates in Southeast Asia with the embassies unreasonably located and diplomatic functions decentralized.As a result in the forty-five consulates established in the late Qing period,only seven were located in Southeast Asia.