《北华捷报》与英国对华贸易政策的制定

The North China Herald andthe Formulationof British Trade Policy towards China

《北华捷报》是英国商人在上海创办的第一份商业性英文报纸,其作者及编辑群体与英国政界、商界有着密切联系。本文以《北华捷报》报刊史料为依据,结合英国下议院档案资料、关键人物书信往来等,分析该报舆论在近代英国对华贸易中的角色。研究发现,《北华捷报》通过社论和编辑文章批评《南京条约》对在华英商的诸多限制,意在为修约活动造势;修约舆论引起英国下议院的重视,成为武力侵华政策的论据和后盾;《天津条约》的签订则进一步表明该报舆论能够影响额尔金等人的贸易决策,英国政府新确立的贸易条例也基本回应了在华英商的舆论诉求。总体来看,《北华捷报》的倾向性舆论对于英国对华贸易政策的制定和执行具有显著影响。

The North China Herald was the first English-language business newspaper edited by British immigrants in Shanghai.Its authors and editors had close ties with the British political and business circles.This article uses newspapers archives and correspondences as materials to analyze the role of public opinion in trade activities.Thestudy found that by criticizing the restrictions on British businessinthe Treaty of Nank ing,The North China Heralds created momentum for the treaty revision activities This kind of public opinion aroused the attention of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom,and became the support of the policy of armed aggression against China.The signing of Treaty of Tientsin further showed that public opinion could influence trade decisions,and the new trade regulations established by the British government basically responded to the demands of British businessmen Overall,the biased public opinion of The North China Herald had a significant impact on the formulation and implementation of trade policy towards China.