Gu Weijun, a modern Chinese politician, social activist and diplomat, was the thirteenth head of state of the Beiyang government. He devoted almost all his life to the diplomatic cause of our country and was known as the "first diplomat of the Republic of China".
Gu Weijun photo
Today we will focus on the story of Gu Weijun, who is also a persistent anti-Japanese fighter on China's diplomatic front.
I. Negotiate the Twenty-One Articles and establish the diplomatic policy of uniting the United States and Japan
In 1915, taking advantage of Yuan Shikai's vain attempt to restore the imperial system, Japan proposed the "Twenty-One Articles" to China with an extremely arbitrary attitude. Fearing interference from other countries, Japan did not allow the Beiyang government to leak the contents of the Sino-Japanese negotiations. At that time, Gu Weijun was only a 27-year-old, fledgling young diplomat.
Gu Weijun profoundly realized that at that time, China's diplomatic capacity was limited, and if it wanted to lose the least in its negotiations with Japan, it was urgent to obtain diplomatic support from the international arena. After reviewing the international situation at that time, he judged that the only country that could give China diplomatic and moral support was the United States.
And once the United States comes forward to support China, its ally Britain will also intervene to protect its vested interests in China. Therefore, as far as China is concerned, the only way to protect itself is to win the support of Britain and the United States, and as for the promise to keep secrets, it is a threatening act of the Japanese, and we have not complied with the obligation, and we can completely ignore it.
Gu Weijun
Therefore, at the foreign policy consultation meeting convened by Yuan Shikai, Gu Weijun for the first time boldly put forward his own views and suggestions, that is, the content of the treaty on the "Twenty-one Articles" and Japan's forced acceptance of China should be disclosed to the British and American countries, so as to win international support.
Yuan Shikai attached great importance to Gu Weijun's suggestion, and he agreed that Gu Weijun would contact the British and American embassies in China on relevant issues, and Gu Weijun would be able to become one of the core figures in diplomacy with the United States. As a result, the young diplomat relied on his excellent diplomatic qualities to become the mastermind behind the diplomatic policy of Joint Resistance against Japan between China and the United States.
Although Yuan Shikai eventually signed the shameful Twenty-One Articles, Gu Weijun used an objective perspective to give more appropriate suggestions, so as to maximize the protection of China's national interests. In the course of this incident, Gu Weijun also established the diplomatic strategy of "uniting the United States to control Japan" that had been implemented since then. This was a wise choice in the complex international environment of the time. It also won China the honor of a victorious power in World War I.
Gu Weijun stills
2. Maneuvering and refusing to sign the Treaty of Paris
On January 28, 1919, when the Paris Peace Conference was negotiating that Germany would withdraw from Shandong after the defeat of the war, the Japanese representative Makino, who attended the meeting, demanded unconditional inheritance of German interests in Shandong. Gu Weijun, who was attending the meeting on behalf of China at the time, listened, stood up and faced the other four representatives and asked: "The West has produced a saint, his name is Jesus, and Christianity believes that Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem, making Jerusalem a world-famous ancient city." And in the East there was also a saint, his name was Confucius, and even the Japanese regarded him as a saint of the East. Mr. Makino, are you right? ”
Makino had to admit, "Yes." Gu Weijun smiled: "Since Mr. Makino also recognizes Confucius as a saint in the East, then Confucius in the East is like The Jesus in the West, and the birthplace of Confucius in Shandong is also the holy land of the East." Therefore, China cannot give up Shandong, just as the West cannot lose Jerusalem! The three giants of the Paris Peace Conference— Wilson, Lloyd George, and Clemenceau— listened to Gu Weijun's loud statement and all stepped forward to shake his hand, calling him China's "young diplomat."
However, the Paris Peace Conference was actually a meeting to divide the spoils, and the imperialist countries simply ignored the reasonable demands of the Chinese side and refused to directly return Shandong's rights and interests to China. Faced with such a situation, Gu Weijun felt that only by refusing to sign can China's position be made clear. So, on June 28, 1919, when the signing ceremony was held at the Palace of Versailles, people were surprised to find that the seats of the Chinese representatives were empty.
The Chinese delegation to the Paris Peace Conference met with Churchill
Gu Weijun never gave up on the issue of China's sovereignty over Shandong, and in November 1921, he served as a representative of China to attend the Washington Conference, and negotiated with Japan on the Shandong issue outside the meeting. After 36 long negotiations, Gu Weijun, then 33 years old, finally signed the Treaty on the Settlement of the Shandong Outstanding Case with the Japanese side in 1922 and its annexes, forcing Japan to helplessly hand over its forcible rights and interests in Shandong step by step.
Iii. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Allies were promoted to aid China
When the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out, Chinese envoys abroad began to work hard to actively win foreign aid, not only hoping that foreign governments would morally condemn Japan's acts of aggression, but also hoping to actually assist China in the War of Resistance. Gu Weijun, who was serving as ambassador to France at that time, made the following efforts:
1. Find ways to get the French side to agree to the transportation of Chinese materials through Vietnam: after the outbreak of the War of Resistance, Japan imposed a strategic blockade on the southeast coast. China could only rely on land lines of communication in the northwest and southwest to obtain military supplies, and the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway at that time was the most convenient route. To this end, Gu Weijun first met with French Prime Minister Camille Chaudang, and then negotiated with Saint-Joan Pace, secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hoping that France could also give some help in this regard like britain and the United States.
Gu Weijun film and television drama image
Thanks to Gu Weijun's repeated activities, China won the facilitation of transit transportation before the Brussels meeting. Until the outbreak of the European war, the Indochina passage was mostly open to China, and France gave practical help in providing convenience to China and supplying military supplies. This is inseparable from Gu Weijun's active negotiations with all parties in France.
2. Another contribution of Gu Weijun in France's efforts to win foreign aid was to persuade the French government to reduce transit taxes and reduce China's financial burden.
3. Gu Weijun's diplomatic efforts toward France are still in the area of winning Sino-French military cooperation. He suggested that Britain and Belgium be invited to participate in the dispatch of military advisers, which eventually led to an agreement between China and France to draw up a list of military advisory groups to China.
Gu Weijunzhao
In short, Gu Weijun, a modern Chinese politician, social activist and diplomat, known as the "first diplomat of the Republic of China", is also a persistent anti-Japanese fighter on China's diplomatic front. He gave full play to his diplomatic talents, made use of his skillful diplomatic skills, seized all opportunities, safeguarded the sovereignty of the country, strived for greater Chinese interests, and made outstanding contributions to the integrity of the motherland and the prosperity of the country.
We should praise Gu Weijun's patriotic spirit and learn from his fine character of not fearing the obscenity of foreign invaders, daring and being good at arguing on the basis of reason, and striving for the integrity of the land and the well-being of the people, and striving to make our motherland prosperous, the nation becoming stronger and stronger, and the people living and working in peace and contentment.
Middle-aged Gu Weijun
This article is original by "Such As Day Zhongtian 54", welcome to pay attention, learn together, and make progress together!