Ding RiChang's Diplomatic Thoughts And Practice

DingRiChang was both one of patriotic, enlightenment intellectuals and government officials and a man of action with early westernization movement in the late Qing Dynasty. He took part in many foreign affairs with the ability of the experienced insight. He sized up the current situation, neither humble nor pushy, argued strongly on just grounds, did his best to safeguard national sovereignty and national interests, and put forward his own views and suggestions to the court many times about the sino-foreign relation questions. His diplomatic thoughts and practice occupied the important status in Chinese modern diplomatic history. All exerted a certain influence at that time and later. This text trys to discuss DingRiChing's diplomatic thoughts and practice preliminarily from three parts.The first part expounds the reasons about the development of DingRiChang's diplomatic thoughts from three aspects. They are the change of the sino-foreign relation pattern; the influence of the social relationship and the influence of the region .The second part expounds the content of Ding's diplomatic thoughts and practice mainly around its starting point, basic policy, diplomatic construction and diplomatic tactics .Including four respects: (一) to maintain national sovereignty and national interests; (二) to abide by treaty, try hard to keep peace; (三) the diplomatic construction of cultivating national power,' sending ambassadors to station abroad and running press office ; (四) the diplomatic tactics of" make use of foreign countries to constrain others".The third part expounds the influence and limitation of Ding's diplomatic thoughts and practice. First of all, the part offers just, objective appraisal to the calumny that Ding RiChang suffered, Affirming Ding's diplomatic activities launched at that time which maintained national sovereignty and national interests. It was the behavior of loving homeland, resisting invasion, complied with the tendency of the day and promoted the modernization of Chinese diplomacy. Secondly, the part also analyses the limitation of DingRiChang's diplomatic thoughts and practice.