The Late Qing Dynasty Diplomatic Transformation

Analysis from an Ideational Perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID12907285
AuthorsXiao-Min Zhang (0000-0002-6740-6035, corresponding author), Z Xiaomin (corresponding author), Xie Chunfeng
Year2007
Volume1
Issue3
Pages405-445
Publication date2007-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Chinese Journal of International Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1750-8916 • E-ISSN: 1750-8924
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/cjip/pom004
OpenAlexW2089469303
LanguageEN
Citations received5

During the 19th century, the Imperial Qing Dynasty gradually waned, as the power of Western capitalist states surged and consolidated.1 The formidable military force commanded by the Western powers gained them entry into China's vast territory, wherein to extend their power parameters. Yet, the constant pressure exerted by Western gunboats, and this eminently advanced civilization as a whole, did little to sway the Qing government from its traditional mode of Chinese Dynastic diplomacy. This raises the questions, why should the Qing government seriously imperil state security throughout its two-decade, persistent adherence to outmoded statecraft? And why did the transformation in foreign policy that lead to the Qing government's diplomatic modernization occur so rapidly after the signing of the Treaty of Peking? A rationalist approach within the academic field of international relations (IR) generally cites power and interests as the primary causes or determinants of a state's external behaviour, ideas being perceived as pre-determined factors that have little, or at most, epiphenomenal, impact.2 The authors of this essay believe that ideas are an important variable, equal in significance to power and interests, when interpreting state behaviour. The late Qing Dynasty had fundamental reasons for transforming its diplomacy; one was the direct military challenge of the Western powers, but the revolution in politics that was occurring both at home and abroad undoubtedly also spurred the change in Qing Dynasty diplomatic behaviour.

China · Diplomacy · Diplomatic history · Foreign policy · Government (linguistics · Great power · International relations · Modernization theory · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Sociology · Sovereignty · State (computer science · Territorial integrity · Treaty · Chinese history and philosophy · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Military History and Strategy

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