晚清地方外交的地区差异及其影响因素

Regional Difference of Local Diplomacy in Late Qing Dynasty and the Main Causes

受地理因素、民众观念和地方官员对外态度等的影响,晚清外交表现出明显的地域特征。地方外交机构的设置呈现出先沿海、沿江、沿边地区,后内地的时空特点;商务交涉在沿海、沿江地区发生最多,界务和教务交涉于沿边地区、内地居多。民众排外心理的强弱程度和宣泄方式影响甚至在特定时期左右着地方外交的发展走向。开明类地方官员能视具体情况,以条约为依据,灵活、平和地办理交涉;而排外类官员则多采取简单、粗暴的方式办理,以致时常将小事酿成大交涉。以上地区差异加剧了地方外交的复杂性、艰巨性,也是造成晚清外交困境的一个重要原因。

Geographical factors,ideas of local people and attitudes to the foreigners and foreign affairs were the most important factors that affected the situations and the traits of the local diplomacy in the late Qing Dynasty.Local diplomatic agencies first appeared in coastal provinces and then the inland part of China in terms of time and space.Most of the commercial interactions took place in the coastal provinces,while most of the affairs concerning the demarcation of borderlines and missionary happened in the areas along the borders and the inlands.All these were related to the geographical factors.Common people＇s psychology of exclusion of foreigners affected the traits of the local diplomacy,and led to differences among different areas.The officials with discrimination against foreigners usually dealt with foreign affairs in a simple and rude way,while the enlightened and rational officials in flexible ways according to different situations.The regional differences aggravated the complexity and arduousness of the regional diplomacy.It was one of the reasons that created difficulties in the diplomatic activities in the late Qing Dynasty.