Song Zheyuan, the Nanjing government and the north china question in Sino-Japanese relations, 1935-1937
The focus of this study is the relationship between the Chinese central government and Song Zheyuan, the key provincial leader of North China, in the period immediately preceding the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the impact of tensions in that relationship on Japan policy. The most urgent task confronting the Chinese government in the late 1930s was to secure an equitable and formally-negotiated settlement of outstanding questions with the Tokyo government. The efforts of the Nanjing government are examined in terms of the divisions within the government and in the context of the public debate on Japan policy which was extended to cover fundamental questions of the regime's diplomatic maturity and the function of diplomacy in the new state. However, the Sino-Japanese question was not purely a diplomatic issue. Tensions between central and northern regional authorities and continuing provincial independence combined with persistent political and military interventions by the Japanese armies in North China to undermine the initiatives of the centre as the lack of an effective central Japan policy eroded regional confidence in the centre. By 1935 Nanjing's control in the North was breaking down and the initiative
Dryburgh, Marjorie E.
Chinese foreign policy
Song Zheyuan, the Nanjing government and the north china question in Sino-Japanese relations, 1935-1937. The focus of this study is the relationship between the Chinese central government and Song Zheyuan, the key provincial leader of North China, in the period immediately preceding the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the impact of tensions in that relationship on Japan policy. The most urgent task confronting the Chinese government in the late 1930s was to secure an equitable and formally-negotiated settlement of outstanding questions with the Tokyo government. The efforts of the Nanjing government are examined in terms of the divisions within the government and in the context of the public debate on Japan policy which was extended to cover fundamental questions of the regime's diplomatic maturity and the function of diplomacy in the new state. However, the Sino-Japanese question was not purely a diplomatic issue. Tensions between central and northern regional authorities and continuing provincial independence combined with persistent political and military interventions by the Japanese armies in North China to undermine the initiatives of the centre as the lack of an effective central Japan policy eroded regional confidence in the centre. By 1935 Nanjing's control in the North was breaking down and the initiative
song government north china question sino japanese relation focus study relationship chinese central_government song key provincial leader north china period_immediately precede second sino japanese war impact tension relationship japan policy urgent task confront chinese government secure equitable formally negotiated settlement outstanding question tokyo government effort government examine term division_within government context public_debate japan policy extend_cover fundamental_question regime diplomatic maturity function diplomacy new state however sino japanese question purely diplomatic issue tensions central northern regional authority continue provincial independence combine persistent political_military intervention japanese army north china undermine initiative centre lack effective central japan policy erode regional confidence centre control north break initiative