Reconstruction Of The Sino-east Asian International System

From the mid-19th century to early 20th century, East Asian international system experienced the transformation from the traditional tributary system to modern treaty system. In this transformation process, Sino-Japanese War plays an important role. Before the Sino-Japanese War, although under the international tide "Western Trends in the East" the East Asian international system began to collapse, but on the whole it still preserved the feudal nature of the suzerain-vassal relations. In this system, China as the traditional sovereign state, is a dominant position in the tributary relationship. However, Sino-Japanese War, because of China's defeat in East Asia as "vassal relations" and "tributary activities" as the core of the traditional tributary system was completely broken, the nature of East Asian international system has undergone fundamental changes. East Asian tributary systemwas gradually replaced by the western imperialist colonial system. After the Russo-Japanese War, East Asian international system finally transformed the traditional tributary system into the modern transformation of the imperialist colonial system altogether. East Asia has entered a new era of imperialism and colonial system.