Chapter 8 The “New Opium War” of Republican China under the League of Nations: Distrust and Contention between the Chinese Government and the League
In: Asian Culture, Diplomacy and Foreign Relations, Volume ISearch for other papers by Jing Li in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by C.X. George Wei in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Abstract
During 1920s–1930s, Republican China launched a “New Opium War” under the leadership and supervision of the League of Nations, aiming at solving the opium problem, the historical legacy from the previous opium wars in the 19th century. This “war,” however, is not a military campaign but a nationwide anti-drug movement with a different major target at domestic poppy planting rather than merely at the opium imported into China as before. China was then still in the middle of transforming itself from an imperial empire to a modern nation-state. She was eager to earn international recognition but at the same time was still at the stage of learning and adopting modern diplomatic norms and practices, while confined by its mindset due to its historical experience being invaded by foreign powers and its diplomatic failure at the Paris Peace Conference that led to the May Fourth Movement. Therefore, the Chinese Government was much afraid of being accused by its own people for betrayal of national interests and sovereignty, trying to keep its independence of the League, which led to the distrust between the League and the Chinese Government, the conflict between the International Anti-Opium Association that the League trusts and the National Anti-Opium Association that the Chinese Government trusts, as well as the contention over the extraterritoriality issue. Despite that, however, the work and pressure of the League greatly contributed to the progress of the “New Opium War” in China, until the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War that totally stopped it.