The Problem of China in the British Foreign Office Mind

Understanding a Rising Superpower, 1922-1985
This book analyses how British China officials grappled with China’s changing position in international affairs during the 20th century.

This book is a work of British diplomatic history that illuminates how Britain’s China officials grappled with China’s changing position in international affairs during the 20th century. Arguing that the idea of a ‘rising China’ was recognised by these officials as early as the 1920s, and that they actively took steps to plan for this eventuality, Yule-Smith shows how they were guided by a strategic, long-term view of what Britain should try to achieve in its relations with China. This dilemma of how to reconcile a country that then appeared weak and disordered, with the view that it would once again return to great power, became known in foreign office circles as the ‘problem of China’.

This book will challenge the idea that the concept of a ‘rising China’ did not emerge until the 1980s or later, instead asserting that a small cadre of experts were exploring what China’s return to power would mean for both the UK and the wider international order as early as the 1920s. Secondly, it brings these British China officials out of the shadows of history to ascertain how they understood China; and how they influenced Britain’s diplomatic efforts over the course of the 20th century. Finally, it will use these diplomatic histories to draw lessons from and make policy recommendations for modern day Anglo-Chinese relations.

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