On The Characteristics Of The 1900-1924 Sino-Russian Relations

During the history of China-Russia relations,the period from 1900 to 1924 was an important stage of development, in which many important incidents occurred both in China and Russia, such as the Boxer Uprising and the Revolution of 1911 in China, the Russia-Japan war and October Revolution in Russia. All these incidents had great influences on the development and evolvement of China-Russia relations, leading the bilateral relations through drastic changes. Among them, however, no great change led to a positive turn in the development of China-Russia relations, or the transformation of the inequality of China-Russia relations.The occurrence of the Boxer Uprising interrupted the Czarist Russian policy of"Peaceful Conquest"towards China, leading the China-Russia relations from alliance to war. By taking part in the Eight Power Allied Forces, and independently sending troops to the Northeast China, Russia, along with other powers, not only exacted the war indemnity and other rights and interests from China, but also dominated the Northeast China by itself. Those events made China-Russia relations reach a low point.Russian attempt to dominate the Northeast China by itself caused discontent among powers, particularly Japan. Soon, the escalation of conflicts between Japan and Russia led to the Russia-Japan war, bringing drastic changes to China-Russia relations. The defeat of Czarist Russia in the Russia-Japan war generated the situation in which Japan occupied the south part and Russia occupied the north part of Northeast China respectively. Thus the Japan factor in the China-Russia relations got strengthened. In a view of its declined power, Czarist Russia reached compromises with Japan and England, with which they carved up their respective spheres of influence. As a result, Czarist Russia strengthened its encroachment and dominance in the north part of Northeast China. Meanwhile, Russia put its keystone of encroachment in the Outer Mongolia, and then took the chance to intensify its political and economic infiltration in the Outer Mongolia. The eruption of the Revolution of 1911 in China and the ensued turbulent political situation provided Czarist Russia with the chance of encroaching and dividing China territory. And Czarist Russia took advantage of this chance to sign secret treaty with Japan to bring Outer Mongolia into its orbits, extended its scope of invasion to Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, the adjoining provinces of Outer Mongolia, and occupied Tannu Uriankhai region, which caused great territorial loss of China. Consequently, the China-Russia relations entered a dark era.Due to the Russian participation in the WW I and following revolutions, the Czarist Russian influence in China declined, with Japan's influence on the rise. In order to preserve its interests in China, Czarist Russia and Japan signed four secret treaties, trying to bring China into the world war. The war and revolution destroyed the Romanov Dynasty. With the eruption of the October Revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Russia, China-Russia relations were subjected to a drastic change once again. Because of frequent changes of the Soviet Russia policy towards China, few interests were restored to China. Out of its self-interests, the Soviet Russia inherited most rights and interests that Czarist Russia had grabbed from China. With the resurrection of Russian national egoism and big-power chauvinism, though appeared to be equal, the China-Russia relations still remained unequal.