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The Sino-British Rapprochement, 1927–1931

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Edmund S. K. Fung
Edmund S. K. Fung
Affiliation:
Griffith University
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The year 1927 marked the beginning of a new Anglo-Chinese relationship. The Northern Expedition had split the Nationalist camp into the Nanjing and the Wuhan régimes, both of which conducted a savage purge, one after the other, against the Communists. Especially the Nanjing régime, which ultimately triumphed over Wuhan, wrought a significant change in Guomindang foreign policy. In line with the purge against the Communists, and with the rise to power of the right wing and the military faction, the Guomindang abandoned mass movements and eschewed mob violence as far as possible as a means of achieving foreign policy objectives. Indeed, as it reviewed its position on anti-imperialism which had been an important element in the revolutionary movement during the period 1924–26, the Party reverted to a policy of international co-operation as an essential part of China's self-strengthening and reconstruction, and sought a peaceful solution to the decades-old question of treaty revision. This change is well illustrated by China's new relationship with Great Britain, which, in December 1926, had announced a new, conciliatory policy towards China after having for years been one of the chief targets of Chinese nationalism.

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Modern Asian Studies , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , February 1983, pp. 79 - 105
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

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References

This paper was originally presented to the ‘China in Transformation’ workshop held at the Australian National University on 24–25 October 1981. The author would like to thank the workshop participants, particularly Dr Tim Wright and Dr David Pong for their many helpful and constructive criticisms. The author is, of course, solely responsible for overall interpretation and for any mistakes that remain.

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