中英关系变动背景下“费唐报告”的出笼及搁浅

The Publication and Abandonment of the Report of the Hon. Richard Feetham in the Context of Changes in Sino-British Relations

南京国民政府成立后,外交上继续推动废除治外法权和收回租界交涉,列强承诺逐步放弃在华治外法权,上海公共租界因此面临出路问题,于是聘请南非法官费唐来沪调查,为上海公共租界的未来提出建议。1931年4月起,"费唐报告"陆续发表。报告从历史与现状的角度,论证租界不能立即交还中国政府,应设立一长达几十年的过渡期,待各项条件成熟后再交还。报告出炉后遭到中国坚决反对,英国则反应冷淡,上海公共租界当局也不肯采纳。"费唐报告"的命运折射出国际格局变动背景下中英关系发生的根本性变化。

Following its establishment, the Nanjing Nationalist Government continued diplomatic negotiations aimed at advancing the abolition of extraterritoriality and the recovery of the foreign concessions. The big powers undertook to gradually abandon extraterritoriality in China, but the Shanghai International Settlement faced the problem of finding an exit strategy. In this context, Richard Feetham, a British judge in South Africa, was invited to Shanghai to investigate the situation and make recommendations for the future of the settlement. Feetham’s report, which was published in installments from April 1931, argued that in light of both historical and current conditions, the settlement could not be immediately returned to the Chinese government; rather, a transitional period that could last decades should be put in place, with a view to waiting until conditions were ripe. This report was firmly rejected by the Chinese government and received a cool reception from the British government; nor was it accepted by the Shanghai Municipal Council. The fate of the report reflects the fundamental change in Sino-British relations in the context of changes in the international situation.