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Chapter 25 Negotiation between great powers to maintain strength (please vote for me!)

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    Chapter 25 Great Powers Negotiate to Stay Strong

    "As a foreigner, I have always been curious about what Li wanted. He had unimaginable wealth. Even in 1915, his wealth was unimaginable. But as a wealthy local powerhouse,  He is willing to give up everything, which is unimaginable. //www.//

    Originally, as a powerful local warlord, that¡¯s how I would describe him!  His strength can completely protect his wealth.  But in the end he chose to give up his guarantee. Perhaps, judging from future developments, he seemed to have everything in mind, but in my opinion, that was obviously the delusion of scholars.

    However, until that day, from his answer, I understood what he needed. It was from that day on that I clearly realized that we were not dealing with the China I imagined, but the same China.  We are dealing with a young China. This country is young and is restless because of its youth. Similarly, this country is extremely old. Because it is old, it is arrogant. When arrogance and restlessness are combined, what do we need to face?  What kind of China?

    In this regard, I have been thinking about this issue after resigning as Minister to China. When the cruise ship started to leave China, I witnessed China's cutting-edge warships in the Yellow Sea. From then on, that huge warship  It¡¯s always been etched in my mind, and that same question has always bothered me.

    I think now, the Chinese have given us a clear answer!  "

    "Memoirs of Zhu Erdian"-1925

    On September 29, the fourth year of the Republic of China, the Treaty to Arrange Customs Relations and Extraterritorial Rights between China and the United States was signed in Beijing.  The treaty stipulates: "All the provisions in the historically valid treaties between China and the United States regarding tax rates, depositary notes, sub-export duties and ship notes on goods imported and exported to China shall be revoked and invalidated, and the national  The principle of complete tariff autonomy. However, the contracting countries shall enjoy no difference in the treatment enjoyed by other countries in each other's territory regarding the above and related matters." The United States became the first country to renegotiate a tariff treaty with China and abrogate the agreement.  Tariffs, Western countries that recognize China¡¯s tariff autonomy.

    On September 21, after the Sino-US tariff negotiations were officially launched.  Under Li Zicheng's instruction, neither Lu Zhengxiang nor Gu Weijun raised any objections to the plan proposed by the United States, and both agreed.  This surprised Rui Enshi, because according to the plan of the State Council, although the United States agreed to abolish the agreed tariffs and restore China's tariff autonomy, it left the United States with the tail mark of "enjoying equal treatment with other countries." The Special Foreign Affairs Committee  The concessions even exceeded the bottom line when the Manchus requested negotiations on tariffs.  The United States has realized the original intention of the negotiation of "I will have it if everyone has it, and I will only if everyone is willing to do it" and consolidated its economic privileges in China.

    As for the issue of "abolition of consular jurisdiction," the United States proposed that it could only be considered after China establishes a modern legal system. China directly invited the U.S. government to "send legal advisers to assist China in formulating a modern legal system." The U.S. government naturally said  Support, which is what Rui Enshi hopes.

    Although the United States finally agreed to cancel its consular jurisdiction in China, it had many reservations about this content in the form of an annex.  According to the terms agreed in the treaty, this treaty will take effect on January 1, 1920. Before it takes effect, the two governments should formulate detailed measures for the Chinese government to exercise its legal rights over the American people; secondly, if the measures have not been formulated by then,  It is stipulated that the American people shall be subject to the jurisdiction of Chinese laws and courts only when more than half of the countries that enjoy consular jurisdiction acknowledge that they have given up this privilege.

    In short, several difficulties expected by Washington were either accepted or avoided. It turned out that with the strong and enthusiastic support of Li Zicheng, China avoided several points that might not be reached and went straight to the "signing"  And go.  In the end, after the treaty was signed, apart from extraterritorial rights, all China really got was tariff sovereignty. Moreover, in the first four years of the implementation of tariff sovereignty, it was subject to many restrictions. For example, the annual increase in tax rate must not exceed 2.5%, and the annual increase in specific protective tax rates must not be exceeded.  Beyond limits like 5%, but for China, this has to be a start.

    ¡°For Li Zicheng, what he needs is to take back diplomatic sovereignty, and the sooner the better.  He urgently needed to "enhance his reputation" to pave the way for his career. Although as the chairman of the Special Foreign Affairs Committee, Lu Zhengxiang wanted to save everything, he was ultimately unable to do anything.

    "What we need is to open a gap as soon as possible. If we can't open the gap, everything else is empty talk. The fortress is conquered from the inside. Once the gap is opened, it couldn't be easier to destroy everything!"

    Faced with everyone's confusion, Li Zicheng had his own persistence and also his own stubbornness. On the second day after the Sino-US negotiations and signing of the contract, Zhu Erdian, as the minister to China, announced the British plan to the outside world for the first time.  manner.

    "BritainChina does not object to the United States' move to conduct separate treaty negotiations with China!  "

    After Zhu Erdian made this statement, the Special Foreign Affairs Committee began negotiations with the United Kingdom on issues of tariffs and extraterritoriality.

    ¡°Tariffs come first, extraterritoriality comes second!¡±

    On the way to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhu Erdian, who was sitting in the car, repeatedly analyzed the contents of the "New Treaty between China and the United States". One thing that is certain is that the purpose of the State Council is not just to "sign a contract", but what they value is  "Tariffs", the reason why the State Council attaches great importance to tariffs is not just a simple increase in taxes!

    The more important reason is that they want to use "tariff autonomy" to implement nationwide tax reform and tax rectification, and ultimately establish a real domestic market and domestic tax system. This may be the real goal of the State Council. Li Zicheng's mentality is to quickly  Sign a contract, and then use the additional conditions of tariff autonomy to force local governments to accept the treaty requirements, thereby establishing a fiscal and taxation system that is beneficial to the central government. This means that in order to achieve the purpose of "quick signing", they will make some concessions.

    After understanding the plan of the Prime Minister, Zhu Erdian smiled. He knew how to maximize the interests for himself, to be precise, for Britain.

    "On the issue of tariffs, you can make appropriate concessions, but on the issues of extraterritoriality, concessions, leased areas and other privileges, you must insist on them as much as possible!"

    London's plan is so simple that Zhu Erdian can only control the dimensions. Zhu Erdian is not surprised by London's simple plan. On the one hand, the British business community has completely withdrawn from China due to the war in Europe, which has led to  The interests of the business community in China have been sharply reduced, especially those of export business.  On the other hand, there is the rapid development of China's industrial and commercial sector. Now many of China's industrial products are even exported back to the United Kingdom and other European countries.

    Like the dye industry in the United States, for them, the European War was originally an opportunity for rapid development. However, after the British and German dye industries withdrew from the U.S. market, Chinese dyes and medicines quickly filled the market. It is expected that even if  Even after the war, it was difficult for the British industry to occupy most of the Chinese market as before the war, so they did not have too much objection to whether China would provide tariff protection after it achieved tariff independence.

    However, when it comes to extraterritoriality, concessions, leased areas and other privileges, they are extremely insistent. This is for the benefit of British investment in China. Therefore, this is the real focus of negotiations, and what Zhu Erdian needs is to take advantage of their eagerness to sign.  psychology to ensure that Britain¡¯s interests in China are not damaged.

    ¡°We in principle recognize the principle of complete tariff autonomy in China!¡±

    In the conference room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhu Erdian said meaningfully.

    "Except for some detailed issues, we have no objections to this. We can discuss some issues in the preparatory stage. Of course, after you fully study the plan submitted by the UK"

    "We'll be ready in half an hour,"

    Lu Zhengxiang said politely that since the beginning of the meeting with Zhu Erdian, he began to mentally prepare to refute some questions. After the Prime Minister told him that Zhu Erdian agreed to make concessions, although he was surprised by the change in Zhu Erdian's attitude, he knew that the Prime Minister wanted  He signed the contract as soon as possible, knowing that the Zhu Erdian in front of him was a typical China expert and a typical British elite diplomat. They are very good at capturing problems from details. Perhaps they had already taken the initiative at the beginning of this negotiation -  ¡ªMastered China¡¯s bottom line.

    However, before the negotiations were held, he saw a confidential telegram in the State Department. The telegram was a British diplomatic telegram deciphered by the intelligence agency. Although the content was very simple, Lu Zhengxiang and Gu Weijun knew the British bottom line.

    While Gu Weijun was studying the British plan there, Lu Zhengxiang handed Zhu Erdian a cigar, and then he took another cigar and started smoking it. He blew out the smoke rings and waved his hands politely a few times to prevent the smoke from hitting the guests.  He walked in front of him and then said with a polite smile:

    "On the tariff issue, I am very grateful to the Minister for respecting China's decision. This should have been the most difficult issue to reach agreement on, but with your understanding, we finally made real progress! I will convey this to the Prime Minister.  a little!"

    He emphasized the word "Prime Minister" when he said it.

    "All this marks the beginning of an equal start for every country, including the UK. As we all know, China has embarked on a path of its own. Of course, on this path, China's development is far from  It does not require the support of other countries, especially the support of a powerful country like the United Kingdom. Moreover, we are also willing to play our role as a friend of the United Kingdom in the future!"

    WeiweiLeaning forward, Lu Zhengxiang said after leaning forward for a moment, followed by a long pause.

    After a moment of silence, Zhu Erdian strengthened his tone and said meaningfully:

    "London believes that we respect China's autonomy in tariffs, but we also need your country to respect the treaties that have been signed!"

    "A treaty that has been signed?"

    Zhu Erdian unexpectedly interrupted, and there was a hint of strangeness in Lu Zhengxiang's tone.

    "Of course we respect those treaties, otherwise we wouldn't be negotiating here, what do you think? Your Excellency, Minister!"

    Raising his eyebrows slightly, Zhu Erdian looked at Lu Zhengxiang with a smile on his face. Couldn't he understand the meaning of this sentence?  This sentence has been said very straightforwardly.  But Lu Zhengxiang seemed to not understand the meaning of these words.

    Maybe he was pretending to be confused. How could Zhu Erdian, who knew how difficult these professional diplomats were in China, underestimate the enemy? He nodded.

    "Of course, so we are willing to negotiate with your country on an equal footing and with mutual respect on the tariff issue!"

    "I believe,"

    After burning out the cigar in his hand, Lu Zhengxiang said,

    "Now that we have reached a consensus on this historic issue, and both our countries will benefit from it, we should take advantage of this rare opportunity to have more in-depth talks on some issues, so that we can solve our  There are some problems with the target. In the future, cooperation between China and the UK will bring benefits to our people. Don¡¯t you think this is natural?¡±

    When he said these words, Lu Zhengxiang remembered the contents of the confidential telegram he saw in the Prime Minister's Office: On the tariff issue, if the United States makes concessions and France agrees, the United Kingdom can abandon the agreed tariffs and use extraterritorial jurisdiction.  On the issue, the significance of London is that if China takes a tough stance and insists on this condition, and Chinese laws are in line with the legal spirit of European and American countries, and are recognized by the British legal community, and are convinced that they are good laws, and after five years of implementation, the United Kingdom can  In addition to ensuring detailed interests, expressing support in principle, on the concession issue

    So Lu Zhengxiang smiled again and looked at the British representative who didn't know that the bottom line had been revealed. Zhu Erdian also looked at him. It seemed that both parties were full of confidence in this negotiation because they understood the other side's bottom line.

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed very natural!¡±

    Zhu Erdian nodded affirmatively.

    "That's why there is a plan submitted before!"

    Zhu Erdian quickly put out the cigar and pressed the cigarette butt into the bottom of the crystal glass ashtray. Zhu Erdian looked at the other party without showing any expression.

    "I think,"

    After a moment of silence, Lu Zhengxiang said.

    "We can first sign a treaty on tariffs and then negotiate on other issues one by one."

    Because the British plan is too far away from the requirements, Lu Zhengxiang is not willing to waste too much time on unrealistic plans.

    "I think,"

    Faced with this suggestion, Zhu Erdian said.

    ¡°It is undoubtedly extremely appropriate and in line with the interests of both Britain and China to resolve all issues in one negotiation.¡±

    The other party's request made Zhu Erdian smile slightly in his heart, and it was just as he guessed.

    "Do you think so?"

    Gu Weijun asked a question at the right time. This was the first time he spoke since he started analyzing the British plan.

    Seeing the vice chairman speak, Zhu Erdian nodded. Compared to Lu Zhengxiang, he was more willing to believe that the foreign minister of the State Council was in charge of everything. He tried his best to determine whether there was something in his words.  A special meaning?

    But Gu Weijun maintained a calm and unpredictable expression.

    "What was he thinking about?"

    Zhu Erdian thought so in his heart, then he heard Gu Weijun's words.

    "First of all, Mr. Minister, I would like to thank your country for your understanding of our government on the tariff issue"

    As soon as he spoke, Gu Weijun's attitude seemed very cordial as in the past, but then he raised his voice again.

    "But, Mr. Minister, I am very curious as to why your country is like this when you fully understand our country's requirements"

    Point your finger at the British plan on the table.

    At this moment, Gu Weijun¡¯s face squeezed out a hint of ridicule:

    ¡°The unrealistic plan respects our country¡¯s jurisdiction, but requires the establishment of a special foreign court to try the prisoners according to the laws of the country where the prisoners belong, and respect our country¡¯s territory.If we have territorial sovereignty, why are we unwilling to negotiate on the concession issue?  Hmmis this what your country calls respect?  "

    The continuous questioning and ridicule made Zhu Erdian embarrassed for a moment.  He felt that Gu Weijun seemed to have forgotten the official etiquette of diplomatic negotiations at this time.

    "Okay, we are 100% sincere in this negotiation, but" Looking at Zhu Erdian, Gu Weimei's face showed disappointment.

    "But what about you?"

    Faced with Gu Weijun¡¯s doubts, Zhu Erdian pretended to be confused and asked very cleverly:

    "Do you mean "sincerity"? Do I understand you correctly?"

    This time he spoke to the interpreter.

    "Yes, there is also the allied spirit of friendly treatment!"

    Gu Weijun repeated.

    Looking at Gu Weijun who was chatting with him, Zhu Erdian thought to himself that he was really a difficult guy. He didn¡¯t tell him any details when he first came up, and he directly stood on a moral standpoint. This issue is really

    "Okay! Perhaps, in your opinion, this plan does not have much sincerity, but, gentlemen, this is the biggest concession that the UK can make. Please note that in this plan, the UK  It has sacrificed its own interests, and these interests are protected by the treaty! Britain has made concessions!"

    After Zhu Erdian answered like this, he saw that the Chinese side fell into silence. The silence of the other party at this time made Zhu Erdian smile on his face. He knew clearly that he had successfully blocked the life gate of the Chinese people.  No matter how tough these diplomats are, their countries and the State Department need contracts, so they will eventually give in.

    At this time, Lu Zhengxiang pretended to be silent and thought for a while. Before, he had just listened calmly. After Zhu Erdian finished speaking, he slightly tilted his head towards Gu Weijun. The two looked at each other, both of them looking at each other.  The other party read each other's decision in their eyes, and then nodded imperceptibly - Lu Zhengxiang stood up first - then Gu Weijun also stood up, and other people involved in the negotiations also stood up.

    "Your Excellency, Minister, I want the negotiation to end here!"

    With that said, in Zhu Erdian's surprise, the negotiation ended.
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