A Study Of The Diplomatic Thoughts Of Zeng Jize

Opening the history of Modern China, we can see a lot of patriotic personages and national heroes in battlefields full of smoke of gunpower, whose heroic deeds are widely spread. Zeng Jize is also a patriotic personage, who insisted on making a sustained resistance for national interests in tense negotiations, but his deeds are not well known by the mass yet. Zeng Jize is a diplomat at the end of the Qing Dynasty, being a minister to the UK, France, Russian. He put forward a series of diplomatic thoughts in his whole life, and the core of his diplomatic thoughts is to defend national interests, to oppose the invasion of the foreign countries and to advocate the diplomacy of strenghen. He made a significant contribution to national interests, succeeding in amending the Sino-Russian Ili Treaty, and he advocated not often relying on non-diplomatic relations. In order to resist against the invasion from France, he advocated consolidating the frontier and improving China's military power. Although his diplomatic practice meet with succeess, fruatration, soul-stirring and sorrow, he , to defend national interests, was constantly neither haughty nor humble, argued strongly on just ground, and was diametrically opposed to the imperialist Powers, showing his significant courage and willpower. He is a prominent diplomatic character deserving to be learnt from by us.Based on the historiography and diplomatic theory, this article gives a all-side analysis to the historical origins, the connotation, the diplomatic practice and the practical results of his diplomatic thoughts, hoping to get some new views different from the former ones, or put forward some new enlightenmnt. The article says the historical origins of Zeng Jize's diplomatic thoughts originated from the Eastern and Western cultures, mainly from his traditional family education, western new culture and his practical ideas. The connotation of his diplomatic thoughts experienced a process from beginning to consummation, turning moral diplomacy into the diplomacy of strenghen, believing in state power, advocating using state power as a backup force for diplomacy, at the same time, he advocated bringing in western modern diplomatic theories to adjust to the international diplomatic need in new conditions, as well as he advocated applying diplomatic tactics and diplomatic measures to protect national sovereignty and national interests. The successful diplomatic practice of Zeng Jize includes participating in the Sino-Russian negotiatio, succeeding in amending the Sino-Russian Ili Treaty; participating in the Sino-French war representations, advocating resisting against the invasion of France and participating in the lower taxes in the Sino-British Opium representations, etc. The diplomatic thoughts and diplomatic practice give a great impetus to the process of diplomatic modernization of China, reflecting the direction of development of China's diplomacy.