李鴻章의 대일 인식과 외교책략 - 1870년대를 중심으로 -

Abstract

1870s, a turning point in the international relations of East Asia, saw Li Hongzhang’s crucial role in the change of China-Korea-Japan relations from tradition to modernism. In this period, Li’s understanding of Japan was rather complex and his diplomatic strategy dealing with Japan multifaceted. When China concluded a treaty with Japan to promote friendly relations, he looked at China-Japan relations from the angle of geopolitics and intended to unite Japan to resist Western aggression, for he thought that Japan could play an important part in Sino-Western connections. However, when Japan dispatched troops to Taiwan and then annexed the Ryukyu Islands, he came to realize that Japan was growing powerful and prosperous through the Meiji Restoration and by learning from the West. Well aware of Japan’s aggressiveness, he had a firm conviction that Japan would eventually invade China and that China could do nothing but strive to become stronger through her own political reform. Meanwhile, in order to accomplish his diplomatic strategy of exploiting Western powers to withstand Japan and guard against Russia, he encouraged Korea to sign a trade contract with the United States and open to Western powers in the hope of standing up against Japanese and Russian aggression with the support of the United States and Western powers. The fundamental purpose of all his efforts was to maintain the suzerain-vassal relations between China and Korea, especially to secure China’s national defense. As he was a downto-earth diplomat, his thought of dealing with the outside world and his diplomatic strategy immediately influenced the Qing Government’s foreign policy and had much effect on the relations between China,Korea and Japan in 1880s and even their relations before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894~1895.