冷战地缘政治背景下的新中国国际贸易——以20世纪50年代东南亚棉纺市场的进出口为中心

PRC's International Trade in the Geopolitical Context of the Cold War-An Investigation of Cotton Textile Trade in Southeast Asia in the 1950s

20世纪50年代,随着东南亚地区去殖民化运动的蓬勃发展,该地区逐渐摆脱殖民体系下对宗主国的商品依赖,并成为中国商品尤其是棉纺品的重要出口市场。这一时期中国在发展东南亚贸易的过程中,也面临来自美、日、英等国的激烈竞争。然而,各国通过经济外交手段促进本国对东南亚的棉纺品出口,不仅仅是为了获取经济利益,也有着通过经济手段推进本国地缘战略的目的,该时期的东南亚地区棉纺贸易呈现出了较强的国与国之间对抗的色彩。同时,本文也从经济外交的角度,阐释了在冷战这一场全方位、高强度、长时段的大国竞争中,政府与民间力量密切互动的特点,从而为我们理解冷战背景下新中国的外贸工作提供了一个新的视角。

The decade from 1950 witnessed rapid development of decolonization in Southeast Asia.As the region gradually moved away from economic dependence on the colonial suzerains,it had become an important export market for China's commodities,especially cotton textiles.During this period,China competed with the United States,Japan,and Britain for cotton products in Southeast Asia.However,the economic diplomacy four countries employed to facilitate export served not only economic interests,but also their respective geopolitical schemes.Through demonstrating the intergovernmental consultation mechanism between London,Tokyo,and Washington,as well as Beijing's use of"people's diplomacy"to mobilize overseas Chinese merchants,this paper shows how cotton textile trade in Southeast Asia was incorporated as a part of the Cold War confrontation.This paper also investigates the close interaction between governments and private entities.By showing the indispensable role of commercial activities in Cold War confrontation,this paper provides a new perspective to China's foreign trade in the context of the Cold War.