美国政府对新政伊始清廷朝政的观察和反应

The Observations and Responses of the U. S. Government to the Political Affairs of the Qing Court in the Early Stage of the New Policies

一个国家对另一国家内政的观察和反应是各国外交活动的一个重要组成部分,也是外交史研究的一项重要内容。20世纪初美国驻华公使康格对清廷改革上谕的观察和反应,以及美国政府拉拢清廷内改革派势力、打击和压制排外保守势力,既是美国以往对华政策的延续,同时也是门户开放原则的一个具体体现,说明美国的门户开放原则不只局限于国际关系领域,而且直接影响美国与中国内政的关系;其对中国内政的影响既有积极一面,也有消极一面。另一方面,新政伊始美国政府对清廷朝政的关注和干涉又是有限度的;他们的观察既不全面,又有很大的主观性和片面性,严重影响美国对华政策的实现。此外,美国政府对20世纪初清廷朝政的观察和反应既表明1901年《辛丑条约》之后包括美国在内的列强对中国内政的干涉和影响大大增强了,同时也透露新政伊始清廷朝政所发生的一系列变化未像1905年日俄战争之后那样趋于明朗。鉴于清末中国历史较诸以往任何时期更受国际因素的影响,加强晚清内政与外交的结合研究,或许可为晚清政治史和中外关系史的研究提供一个新的突破口。

One country’s observations of and responses to another country’s domestic politics are an important part of the diplomatic activities of all countries,and also an important topic of diplomatic history.In the early 20th century,U.S.minister to China Edwin H.Conger’s observations of and responses to the Qing court’s reform edicts,and the U.S.government’s attempts to draw in reform forces in the Qing court and strike at and suppress anti-foreign and conservative forces,not only continued America’s past China policies,but also gave concrete form to its Open Door principle.This indicates that the American Open Door principle was not restricted to diplomacy,but directly affected the relationship between American and Chinese domestic politics.U.S.influence on China’s domestic politics was both positive and negative.In addition,the American government’s attention to and interference in the Qing court’s political affairs was limited.Their observations were incomplete,subjective and skewed in the early stage of the New Policies.This had severe consequences for the realization of U.S.policies toward China.Moreover,the American government’s observations of and responses to the Qing court’s political affairs in the early 20th century not only indicate that the interference and influence of the great powers—including the U.S.—on China’s internal affairs greatly increased after the 1901 Boxer Protocol,but also reveals that the changes in the Qing court’s political affairs beginning in the early stage of the New Policies were not as clear as those after the Russian-Japanese War in 1905.Considering that Chinese history was influenced by international factors in the late Qing period more than ever before,strengthening studies combining late Qing domestic and diplomatic affairs might well provide a new opening for research on late Qing political history and the history of Sino-foreign relations.