The Competition Between Britain And Japan In Tianjin 1935-1939

After the Mukden Incident,as Britain had little interest in the Northeast,and Britain initially wanted to cooperate with Japan in the Far East,it did not interfere with Japan's aggression against China.However,with the deepening of Japanese aggression in North China and the continuous violation of the provisions of the Nine Nations Convention,Britain's interests in North China have been seriously damaged,and the conflict between Britain and Japan has begun to intensify.From the second half of 1934 to 1935,a severe financial crisis occurred in China.The outbreak of the crisis was attributed to Japan's aggression against China since 1931,which severely damaged the Chinese economy.Britain,which has the largest rights and interests in China,is very worried about this situation.Especially in Tianjin,an important industrial city in North China,the situation is even more tense.With weak foreign exchange reserves,Japan began to focus on the Bank of China in the British-French Concession in Tianjin.In addition,Japan and Britain robbed the tariff control of Tianjin Customs.Tariffs are the main source of finance for the Chinese government and the main guarantee for foreign loans.While Britain has long held the position of the General Taxation Department of the Chinese Customs,Japan intended to seize the Chinese customs and threatened the British with force to deposit the Tianjin customs revenue in the bank of Japan.Britain and Japan also had conflicts over China's currency reform in the 1930 s.Japan's attempt to launch an economic competition with Britain by issuing "Union Bank Notes" has also become the source of economic turmoil in North China.Since the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1931,the British Concession in Tianjin has been the focus of the British-Japanese confrontation.Especially in the middle and late 1930 s,the British Concession was one of the reasons for Japan's invasion of North China due to the existence of a large number of anti-Japanese patriotic groups.In 1939,the confrontation between Britain and Japan reached its climax.The Japanese-Pseudo-Union Reserve Bank manager and customs chief Cheng Xigeng was assassinated in the British concession in Tianjin.Japan demanded that the British extradite four Chinese suspects.The request was rejected by Britain,which led to Japan's order to block the British concession in Tianjin by force.In July,the British-Japanese Talks were held in Tokyo.Under the persecution of Japan,Britain finally made concessions,not only politically agreeing to extradite the four suspects,but also economically compromising Japan.Britain has decided to ease the situation in the Far East at the expense of China's rights and interests.The thesis focuses on the interaction between Britain and Japan in Tianjin,China.Starting with the competition between the two countries in Tianjin,we can deeply explore the British appeasement policy towards Japan in the 1930 s,so that we can better understand the changes in the strength of the two countries and the evolution of the political and economic structure of the Far East.