Research On The Opening Of The Yangtze River Negotiations Between Britain, The United States And Japan During The War (1937-1940)

Since the modern times,foreign powers have forced China to sign a series of unequal treaties with it.And they also have grabbed the inland navigation rights in China.Since then,the forces of various countries have entered the Yangtze River.Specific to the Yangtze River Shipping,foreign businessmen have the financial and technological advantages in their competition with China.The Yangtze River shipping has occupied by the big powers.At the same time,between the big powers also fight with each other for the right of Yangtze navigation.Before Sino-Japanese war,The situation of the Yangtze navigation have become the British and Japan hegemony.After the outbreak of the full-scale war of resistance against Japan,China have waged fierce military conflicts against Japan for the control of the Yangtze River.Moreover,the waterway of the Yangtze River became the major point of dispute between both sides for its strategical importance.Both China and Japan have blocked the Yangtze River for military needs.National Government decided to sink the warships and merchant ships in order to build a blockade in Jiang Yin and set up mines to prevent the Japanese warships from going above the Yangtze river.The British reached a Short-term agreement with the National Government to maintain trade in the Yangtze River,and then temporarily resolve the issue.With the situation of war being worse,Japan took control of the Yangtze river progressively,and then blockaded the Yangtze river again for military reasons.Britain and the United States strongly oppose this,They argue that China and Japan are not in a legal state of war,and Japan cannot enjoy the rights of military occupation and military administration.In the British and American protests against Japan,the United States paid more attention to the principles of "open door and equal opportunity",The United Kingdom tended to compromise Japan because it pays more attention to its huge rights in the Yangtze River.Facing the British and American protests,Japan firmly rejects the requirements of Britain and the United States.The United States and the United States recognize that it is impossible to force Japan to make concessions while the military conflict in the Yangtze River is in progress.After the fall of Hankow,Britain and the United States believed that Japan's military operations in the Yangtze River have come to an end,they once again asked Japan to open the Yangtze River.Japan continues to refuse on the grounds of military needs.Japan insisted on refusing to open the Yangtze river,hoped to utilize the time of blockade to establish Japan's economic and political control in Central China.Japan's attitude toward the Yangtze River was not always the same.With the military circumstance relieving in the central China and the need of restoring economy of the central China,given that the United Kingdom and the United States are Japan's important commodity export markets and importer of weapons,important machinery and raw materials.Some people in Japan have begun to call for the opening of the Yangtze River to seek a economic compromise with the British and American.However this was strongly opposed by Japan army which in China and the “renovation faction” of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Therefore,Japan's Yangtze River opening plan has been slow.Just as Japan's domestic debate over the Yangtze River issue is endless.On July 26,1939,the United States announced that it would abolish the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between the United state and Japan which was signed at Washington on February 21,1911.Which means that the United States and Japan will enter into treaty-free state.Japanese government and the public were deeply shaken.The domestic “pro-Americans” were eager to improve Japan-US relations.The decision to “open the Yangtze River” prompted the United States to agree to a new treaty or a temporary solution with Japan.Although the US ambassador to Japan,Grew,strongly opposed the tough policy toward Japan,Secretary of State Hull was still unmoved and insisted on abolishing the "US-Japan Business Contract" on the grounds that "Japan has discrimination against US trade."Japan's diplomatic efforts failed,Japan also chose to extend the opening hours of the river indefinitely.The negotiation of opening the Yangtze River among the United Kingdom,the United State and Japan,which was not separated the pattern of powers competing for power and demarcating spheres of influence in China.The negotiation is injustice and bifurcation between the powers.The negotiation reflected the fact that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was constantly struggling.The national guidance theory "New East Asia Order" was also negotiated in theory and practice because of the negotiations between the Japanese and American Yangtze Rivers.On the Yangtze River issue,the change of attitude towards Japan before and after the United States and the United States which predicted the transformation of the international order.