中缅边界问题的缘起--八莫之交涉

The Origin of the Sino-Myanmar Border Issue:Negotiations on Bhamo

经过19世纪3次英缅战争后缅甸彻底沦为英国殖民地。为应对英国对缅殖民统治以及防止英国势力侵入滇藏地区,清政府驻英公使曾纪泽率先提出应力争缅甸边镇八莫为清之商埠,一则使云南商道经八莫直通伊洛瓦底江和印度洋,二则勿使英近我界。但清政府高层以力保缅甸朝贡作为谈判第一要义,对八莫问题未予高度重视,再加之清政府海关总税务司赫德绕开曾纪泽直接与英国外交部私下交涉,由此形成清政府对英外交明暗两条线格局。尽管曾纪泽有清政府驻英使馆洋员马格里的支持和协助,但由于清政府高层的迟疑、赫德另拟交涉方案、李鸿章提出无法遥制八莫等现实问题,英方从考虑将八莫让与中国到允许中国在八莫设关取税再到断然拒绝中国有关八莫的提议,终使曾纪泽解决缅甸问题的方案落空。1886年中英签订《缅甸条约》,清政府承认英国对缅殖民统治地位,此后晚清西南边疆危机不断深化。

Burma became the British colony after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century.In order to deal with the British colonial rule in Burma and in case of the British invasion of Yunnan and Tibet,Tseng Chi-tse,Chinese minister to Britain,proposed that Bhamo,a Burmese border town,could be obtained as a Qing’s commercial port by negotiation,then the Yunnan trade route could be directly connected to the Irrawaddy River and the Indian Ocean through Bhamo,while the British could stay away from Yunnan.However,top officials of the Qing Government considered maintaining the tribute from Burma as the primary goal of the negotiation,and paid less attention to the Bhamo issue.In addition,Robert Hart,minister of Chinese Maritime Customs,bypassed Tseng Chi-tse and directly negotiated with the British foreign office in private,thus forming the pattern of two diplomatic channels between China and Britain.Although he had the support and assistance from Macartney,a foreign staff at the Chinese embassy in London,Tseng Chi-tse’s proposal of using Bhamo as a commercial port of Qing Government finally failed,due to the guile of the British foreign office,the hesitation of top officials of the Qing Government,the destructive role of Hart,and Li Hungchang’s worry about Chinese incapability of ruling Bhamo.In 1886,China and Britain finally signed the Convention Relating to Burmah and Thibet,confirming that the Qing Government recognized the British colonial rule in Burma.Since then,the crisis at China’s southwestern frontiers during late Qing Dynasty years had been deepened.