The Foreign Trade Thought In Modern China

Modern China(1840-1949)was the beginning stage of China’s contemporary economic development.Because of the rapid development of western modern industrial civilization,the productivity forces of the countries which first experienced industrial revolutions increased in high-speed.The economic influence of those countries grew wider,which gradually lead to the unity of the world market.Not a single country can resist this irreversible force and be isolated from this global economic system.The traditional Chinese economic thought was no longer suitable for the modern economic development.In order to survive,China had to change its traditional economic thought and the feudal economy system.Otherwise,it would be ruthlessly crushed by the wheel of history.Since modern industrial mode of production was not a natural product of China’s own economic development,but a product from the outside world.Therefore,the process of learning from western advanced economic thought was indispensable.The modern China’s economic thought was born in the process of accepting,absorbing and borrowing the western economic thought.From then on,many Chinese economists continually to develop this field till a unique economic thought system was gradually taking shape in modern China.In this historical period,the transformation of the foreign trade thought was prominent and representative.Because of the economic development of western capitalism constantly expanded the overseas market,China was forced to open its door and to trade with the western countries which had experienced industrial revolution and possessed advanced productivity.The collision of the Chinese self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy and the western capitalist free market economy system had a significant impact on the Chinese traditional economic thought.Modern Chinese overseas students,as the first group who absorbed western economic thought,laid a firm foundation of China’s economic theories.According to statistics,there were over 200 doctoral dissertations on economics written by Chinese overseas students from 1905 to 1960.Among them,dissertations on finance were in the majority.There were 35 dissertations on foreign trade issues.All these doctoral dissertations not only were the center focus of the foreign trade study of modern China,but also played a significant role in the field of the history of Chinese foreign trade thought in modern China.Because of the difficulties and limitation of collecting,translating and analyzing the data,research on the foreign trade thought of the Chinese overseas students in modern China is fairly a new field,and needs in-depth exploration.Foreign literature is rarely made beneficial use of in the studies on foreign trade thought in modern China.As the earliest group studying foreign trade and introducing western foreign trade thought into China,Chinese overseas students finished their doctoral dissertations and earned their doctoral degrees in western institutions of higher learning.These dissertations,however,have hardly been paid any attention to by the field of the history of Chinese economic thought.This research uses the doctoral dissertations written by modern Chinese overseas students as historical data and studies the Chinese overseas students’ foreign trade thought as well as their impact on the development of China’s foreign trade.It is a new study in the field.This study includes three main parts:Introduction,main body,and conclusion.The introduction includes five parts:Significance of the subject;literature review;research task and main content;research methods and research innovations.The literature review part introduces the comments and research results on doctoral dissertations of overseas students from both Chinese literature and foreign literature.The main body contains four chapters.It is categorized according to the different topics of Chinese overseas students’ dissertations.Each chapter chronologically introduces overseas students,academic achievements and analyzes their foreign trade thought.The first chapter "Modern Overseas Students and the Study of Foreign Trade History" analyzes 13 doctoral dissertations.There are 7 dissertations on the history of China’s foreign trade:(1)See Chong-Su’s "The Foreign Trade of China",which is the first book on foreign trade in China and introduces the history of China’s foreign trade development;(2)Feng Chaoi’s"China’s Foreign Trade from 1921 to 1923”,which introduces the history and policy of China’s foreign trade from 1913 to 1923;(3)Tsing Tung-Chun’s "The Production and Trade of China’s Silk",which is the first academic monograph on the history of China’s silk industry,and it introduces the development of China’s silk trade;(4)Tsao Kwoh-Ching’s "China’s Tea in European Market",which focuses on China’s tea industry,its trade in the European market and offers advice;(5)Shen Che’s "China’s Foreign Trade",which in details introduces the imports and exports of China’s foreign trade development and offers advise;(6)Chao Zoo-biang’s "Study on China’s Foreign Trade from 1864 to 1932",which in details introduces the foreign trade between China and 15 foreign countries or colony,includes Britain,British India,British Malaya,Japan,Korea,the United States,Germany,Russia,France,Italy,Belgium,Netherlands,Dutch east India and Thailand;(7)Cheng Ming-Ju’s "The Statistical Comparisons of the Foreign Trade of China Before and After the Great War",which analyzes the changes in trade of China before and after the First World War from trade statistics.There are 5 dissertations on the history of China’s foreign trade realations:(1)Pan Shu-Lun,s "The Trade of the United States with China,1784-1923",which is the first book on the foreign trade realation between China and the United States,it introduces the foreign trade history between China and the United States from 1784 to 1923;(2)Chao Tsi-Chin’s "The Economic Relationship of China and America",which introduces the history of foreign trade relationship between China and the United States,especially on the intangible trade,and offers advice for the improvement of the trade relationship between China and the United States;(3)Tien Shu Chih’s"Manzhou’s Economic Status in the World",which analyzes the special regional economy in China and the foreign trade in Manzhou.(4)Chow Pei-Gei’s "A Hundred Years of Economic Relations between China and Great Britain 1834-1934",which in general introduces the foreign trade relationship between China and Britain;(5)Kuo Chung-ying’s"British Trade in China,1894-1914",which is the only dissertation on foreign trade accomplished by female economist,it introduces British trade in China and its trade policy in different periods.There is one dissertation on the the foreign trade in foreign country:Chee Hsien Wu’s "Two Decades of Soviet Foreign Trade",which is the first book on Soviet trade issues,it analyzes the imports and exports foreign trade of Soviet from 1918 to 1938 and the foreign trade policy under state monopoly economic system;The second chapter "Modern Overseas Students and the Study of China Customs and China’s Tariff’ analyzes 9 doctoral dissertations.There are 3 dissertations on China customs:(1)Chen Wei-Ping’s "The development of the Chinese maritime customs during the Ching dynasty,1644-1911",which is the first book on China customs and foreign trade,it focuses on the history of maritime customs development in Qing dynasty;(2)Hou Hon-chun’s "The History of China’s Customs from 1842 to 1911”,which mainly introduces the impact of a series of unequal treaties on China customs system and the penetration of foreign industry in China;(3)Wang Shao Cheng’s "China’s Foreign Trade and Customs",which in general introduces the imports and exports,the status of China’s foreign trade in the world economy and China’s major trading nations.There are 6 dissertations on China’s tariff:(1)Chu Chin’s "The Tariff Problem in China",which focuses on the history of Chinese tariff development.It discusses tariff theory,especially tariff protection theory,and makes visionary suggestions;(2)Liu Tin-Mian’s "Modern Tariff Policies with Special Reference to China",which detailly analyzes and compares the tariff system of the United States,Britain,France,German,Japan and China.It provides benefitial reference for China’s tarrif policy;(3)Tchang Tsang’s "The Tariff Problem in China",which discusses the historical changes of China’s tarrif system in three periods;(4)Foo Chuen-Poot’s“Study and Critics on the History of China’s Tariff System",which introduces the changes of China’s tariff system under different treaties in each periods;(5)Siao Faw’s "China’s Tariff System";Ting Tso-chao’s "China’s Tariff’,which introduces the history of China’s tariff system,China’s efforts to restore customs sovereignty,the present situation and future plan of China’s tariff system;(6)Ting Tso-chao’s "China’s Tariff’,which introduces the history of China’s tariff,Customs revenues and expenditures,as well as customs organizations.The third chapter "Modern Overseas Students and the Study of Foreign Trade Policy,Trade and Economic Development,Foreign Exchange" analyzes 10 doctoral dissertations.There are 3 dissertations on China’s foreign trade policy:(1)Tchen Ki-chan’s "The Open Door Policy in China",which is the first book on foreign trade policy in modern China,it introduces the China’s trade system after the "Open Door" policy;(2)Am Pan’s "The Foreign Trade Credit of China’s Banking Industry",which analyzes the credit issues inChina’s foreign trade from the angle of banking system;(3)Pang Bin Chin’s "China’s Foreign Trade and Trade Policy",which focuses on the foreign trade between China and Germany and its trade policy in differen periods.There are 2 dissertations on foreign trade policy in foreign countries:(1)Liang Ingwen’s "Covert Protectionism in Trade",which is the first book on the hidden protectionism in foreign trade,it introduces the protectionism in foreign trade and offers dialectical point of view for China’s trade policy;(2)Lu Chison’s "The Agricultural Product Price Policy of German in the Great War",which focuses on the maximum price policy of German’s agricultural product in war time and criticizes on the government control of market prices in special time.There are 2 dissertations on trade and economic development:(1)Ouang Fung Y’s "China’s Foreign Trade and Financial Situation",which focuses on the foreign trade issues from a financial perspective and provides suggestions for the tax system,monetary system and loan reform;(2)George Sheng Teng’s "The International Effects of the Recent American Silver Purchases",which analyzes the impact of the“Silver Purchase Act" of the United States in 1933 on different gold or silver standard countries and their foreign trade.There are 3 dissertations on foreign exchange:(1)Yu Tsing-I’s "The Foreign Investment Problem in China",which analyzes China’s foreign trade issues from the angle of foreign exchange investment;(2)Lai Kwok-Ko’s“Study on Shanghai’s Exchange Market and Its Relationship with China’s Trade Balance",which analyzes the influence of the foreign exchange market of Shanghai in China’s foreign trade;(3)Hou Tseu-Kiang’s "The Foreign Exchange Rate in China Since 1912",which studies China’s foreign trade issues from the angle of exchange rate.The fourth chapter "Modern Overseas Students and the Study of International Trade Theory" analyzes 3 doctoral dissertations.(1)Li Choh-Ming’s "International Trade under Silver Exchange:China,1888-1935",which focuses on the foreign trade and international trade theory of China under silver standard.It complements the deficiency of western international trade theory in silver standard;(2)Wu Chi Yuan’s "The Theory of International Price Relationships:An Historical Study",which introduces the development the theory of international price relationships,includes mercantilism,classicism,post-classicism and new theory in the post-war period;(3)Chang Tse-Chun’s "Cyclical Movements in the Balance of Payments",which analyzes the international trade theory in China from the angle the balance of international payment and serves as a supplement to the flaws of automatic adjustment theory of the classical school.Conclusion and Comments.This part in general evaluates total 35 dissertations.The innovation,diversity and pratical patriotism are the prominent features in Chinese overseas students’ foreign trade thought.This part also clarifies the outstanding contributions made by the overseas students in foreign trade thought.In modern times,when China was wrestled with radical social and political changes,Chinese overseas students conducted valuable research achievements on foreign trade by combining the knowledge they learned from western institutions of higher education with China’s realities.Though modern Chinese overseas students’ contributions have long been ignored,the unremitting effort to study this topic is gradually lifting their veils and revealing the truth of the significant role they played in the history of modern Chinese economics.Through analyzing their research,this study shows beneficial inspirations for the development of China’s foreign trade.