An Analysis of the Early Diplomatic Policies of Soviet Russia and China on the Chinese Eastern Railway, 1917-1925

Abstract

This thesis explores the evolution of Soviet diplomatic policies with respect to the disputed ownership of the Chinese Eastern Railway, and the responses of the three Chinese political authorities in Beijing, Guangzhou and Fengtian from 1917 to 1925. It restructures the analysis of available sources through horizontal analysis and comparison, in order to unveil a “parallel diplomacy” on the Soviet part, and the roles the three Chinese authorities played in this grand diplomatic game. From the Revolution in 1917 until the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925, Moscow’s contacts with all three authorities were initiated almost simultaneously with three different purposes, political legitimacy, justification of ideology, and practical leverage respectively. In response, the Beijing government took a relatively active approach toward reclaiming the ownership of the Railway, whereas Sun in Guangzhou was somewhat passive in dealing with Soviet claims. Fengtian warlord Zhang Zuolin’s approaches were quite ambiguous, as he had to balance the Japanese force in Manchuria as well. In general, the thesis reveals a balance between propaganda and national interests in Soviet diplomatic policy-making, and evaluates the effectiveness of Chinese politicians’ responses to Soviet Russia.