From The Late Qing Dynasty’s Negotiation On The Sino-portuguese Macao Issue To See The Evolution Of Qing Government’s Concept Of Maritime Territory

There are three stages in the negotiation on the sino-portuguese Macao issue.First,the Chinese government has absolute control over Macao in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.Second,before the opium war,the Portuguese authorities secretly challenged China’s sovereignty in Macao;After the opium war,Portugal made a public invasion of Macao’s sovereignty.Portugal has been accompanied by friction and negotiation with the Chinese government since its first day in Macao.The Qing government and Portugal made frequent representations after the opium war.The chief among them was three negotiations.In 1862,Portugal signed the treaty of good trade with the Qing government in order to gain Macao’s sovereignty.,but because the Qing government finally proposed to amend the treaty,the Portuguese work fell short.In 1887,China and Portugal signed the sino-portuguese treaty of friendship and commerce,which was the only stipulation of Macao’s status.But at this time,the Qing government lacked the concept of sea power,and agreed to rent Macao and its territory.Because of the treaty loophole,Portugal can further encroach on Chinese waters.China and Portugal have made repeated representations.In the process of negotiation,the Qing government has continuously strengthened the awareness of the territorial waters,and the concept of the sea has undergone a major transformation.In the political sense,the government has insisted on protecting the sovereignty of the territorial sea and the economic protection of the customs.The Qing government adhered to the principle of uncompromising territorial waters in the negotiations in 1909.The Qing government used international law and public opinion to exert pressure on Portugal and the international community,finally shelved the negotiations,maintained Macao’s sovereignty,maintained the waters of Macao and maintained the integrity of the sea.