中日两国交涉“琉球分岛改约案”及其影响

China and Japan's Negotiation over the“Plan to Divide the Liuqiu Islands and Amend the Sino-Japanese Treaty”and Its Impact

1879年日本借“废藩置县”为由,强行吞并琉球,拒绝与清朝交涉,并污蔑清朝驻日公使何如璋失礼。美国前总统格兰特出面调停后,中日两国讨论“琉球分岛改约案”的可行性,但各自解释格兰特的调停方案,难以妥协。清朝坚持琉球复国,日本却要琉球“属地化”,并欲以琉案要挟清朝,达到修改《中日修好条规》的目的。当时中俄两国正在交涉伊犁问题,总理衙门担心日、俄联合谋华,遂仓促草签《琉球专约》,但因琉球官员林世功自杀死谏,中国朝野群情汹汹,加上中俄交涉已见曙光,清朝再无顾忌,遂拒绝签署《琉球专约》,使日本并吞琉球之举无法获得国际承认,成为外交悬案。

In 1879,Japan used the“abolition of the Fan system”as a pretext to forcibly annex the Liuqiu Islands.,They refused to negotiate with the Qing Dynasty and slandered He Ruzhang,the Qing Dynasty's minister to Japan,as impolite,thereby denying his diplomatic right to protest the Liuqiu issue.After former U.S.President Grant took on the role of mediator for the Liuqiu issue,China and Japan discussed the feasibility of“Plan to Divide the Liuqiu Islands and Amend the Sino-Japanese Treaty”.However,each side had its own interpretation of Grant's mediation proposal,which made reaching a compromise difficult.The Qing Dynasty was insistent on the goal of restoring the Liuqiu Kingdom,while Japan aimed to solidify the“territorialization”of the Liuqius and used the case as leverage to pressure the Qing Dynasty into revising the“Sino-Japanese Friendship and Trade Treaty”.Concurrently,China and Russia were in negotiations over the Ili issue.The Prime Minister's Office,fearing an alliance between Japan and Russia against China,hastily initialed the“Liuqiu Treaty”However,Lin Shigong,a Liuqiu official,committed suicide in protest,causing an uproar among the Chinese government and the public.Moreover,as the Sino-Russian negotiations began to show signs of progress,the Qing Dynasty had no further reservations and refused to sign the“Liuqiu Treaty”This action prevented'Japan from gaining international recognition for its annexation of the Liuqius,leaving it as an unresolved diplomatic issue.