北洋外交与“治外法权”的撤废——基于法权会议所作的历史考察

The Beiyang Government’s Foreign Policy and the Abolition of Extraterritoriality: A Historical Exploration Based on the Extraterritoriality Conference

法权会议是北洋政府通过外交途径撤废治外法权的一次尝试。在改变由不平等条约建构和规范的近代中外关系问题上,北洋政府并不像许多研究者一再批评的那样,仅仅扮演了消极被动的角色。在会议的全过程中,北洋政府外交家均付出了艰辛努力,以图撤废治外法权这一严重伤害中国主权的外人特权。法权会议折射出的北洋外交是一种带有改良色彩的“修约”外交。在中国尚不具备彻底废除不平等条约的实力的历史条件下,立足“修约”应为务实的选择。虽然囿于内外条件,北洋政府未能实现撤废治外法权的初衷,但会议确立的一些中外关系原则。

The Extraterritoriality Conference was an attempt by the Beiyang government to abolish extraterritoriality in China through diplomatic channels. Contrary to the repeated criticisms of many researchers, the Beiyang government did not just play a passive role in changing China’s unequal treaty-based modern foreign relations. Over the course of the conference, the Beiyang Government’s diplomats worked hard to eliminate extraterritoriality, a privilege which seriously damaged China’s sovereignty. The Beiyang government diplomacy reflected in this conferencewas a reformative diplomacy of “treaty revision.” Under the circumstances, given that China did not have enough power to completely abolish extraterritoriality, “treaty revision” was a practical choice. Though the Beiyang government failed to realize its original goals, the principles of Sino-foreign relations set by the conference laid a legal foundation for the complete abolition of the unequal treaties later on.