两次鸦片战争期间清朝对欧美小国的外交

两次鸦片战争期间,清朝政府将欧美小国与欧美列强“一视同仁”,宁愿让欧美小国享受欧美列强从清朝攫取的除割地赔款之外的种种特权,也不轻易满足欧美小国提出的符合近代国际惯例的一些要求。这样,清朝对欧美小国的外交也不断丧权辱国。究其原因,在于清朝以传统的“天朝上国”思想来指导近代对欧美小国的外交;清朝对欧美小国外交的最主要目的,是为了维护“天朝上国”的体制,而不是保护近代意义上的国家主权。

During the two Opium Wars, the government of Qing Dynasty treated the western small nations and great powers equally without discrimination. The government preferred the small nations to enjoy different privilege snatched by the great powers, except to cede territory and compensate, rather than satisfy their demands which conformed with the modern international common practice. Therefore, the government continuously humiliated the nation and forfeit its sovereignty to the small nations. The reason was that Qing Dynasty directed its diplomacy with a traditional thought - the Celestial Empire. The most important purpose of diplomacy with the small nations in Manchu Dynasty was to maintain the system of the Celestial Empire, not to protect the national sovereignty in a modern sense.