Research On The Relationship Between Sino-Japanese Commercial Treaty System And The Bilateral Economic And Trade

The establishment of the commercial treaty between China and Japan is not only the major component of treaty system between China and Japan in modern times but also an important entry point to explore the development of economic relation between two countries. It is established based on such political treaties as the Sino—Japan Treaty of1871and Treaty of Shimonoseki and Treaty of1901, and enriched by such economic treaties as Trade Regulations, Trade Sail Treaty and Merchants Sail Contract. Meanwhile, it provides legal basis for the commercial intercourse and plays a decisive role in the direction of bilateral economic relationship development.China and Japan are neighbors separated by East Sea, and since ancient times, their economic and the trade exchanges have been always very frequent. However, after entering the modern times, because of the impact on successive expansion by western forces in East Asia, the folk friendly trade situation that the two countries had maintained was broken. After the Meiji restoration, Japan realized the national independence so as to get rid of semi-colonial nature as soon as possible, and Japan vigorously promoted its industrial modernization in the economic aspect; at the same time, in view of insufficient local resources, disadvantages of small markets, Japan made "trading for national construction" policy to the overseas. In diplomacy, Japan implemented the strategy of following Europe and the United States of "departure from Asia for Europe". Thus, Japan regarded China which had rich resources and a vast market as plundered object, and sought to obtain the same privilege Europe and the United States from the Qing government to nourish its development of capitalism, achieve economic leap, and improve international status. In dual drives of economic incentives and motives of political diplomacy, Japan insisted on concluding commercial treaty to restore the official exchanges on China’s issues; at the same time, Japan showed that it tried to imitate the west, and grab intention of the one-sided preferential treatment in China, even acted as the vanguard of imperialist countries that invaded China. The combination of various factors made the evolution of the Sino-Japanese commercial treaty system not only be restricted and promoted by the conflicts brought by actual economic ties between the two countries, but also relate to the unique features showed by their own development because the many conflicts of interests in Europe and the United States. Besides, it directly affected the development of bilateral trade with commercial treaty as policy orientation, and constantly adjusted the changes in the structure of trade between the two countries.After Sino-Japanese war, Japan had achieved its dream of many privileges in China by force, and reconstructed the unequal commercial treaty system between China and Japan through the Trade Sail Treaty in1896, and Japan forced the Qing government to accept the Merchants Sail Contract in1903and expanded the system; from now on, Japan had recklessly invasion and plunder in China. The grave national crisis gradually aroused the indignation of Chinese gentle merchants who suffered from exploitation; the Qing government official diplomatic failure in the Tatsu Maru Incident in1918provoked China’s first anti-Japanese Boycott Movement. The broad masses of Chinese people reused the rational form of struggle after the movement of boycott American goods, which showed the confidence and determination to fight for national rights and interests, promoted the rise of the national diplomacy, and laid a solid foundation for the public to change the unequal relationship of commercial treaty between Japan and China.