China–Korea Treaty of 1882

The China–Korea Treaty of 1882 (Chinese: 中朝商民水陸貿易章程; Korean: 조청상민수륙무역장정) was negotiated between representatives of the Qing dynasty China and the Joseon dynasty^[1] in October 1882.^[2] This agreement has been described as the Joseon-Qing Communication and Commerce Rules;^[1] and it has been called the Sino-Korean Regulations for Maritime and Overland Trade.^[2] The treaty remained in effect until 1895. After 1895, China lost its influence over Korea because of the First Sino-Japanese War.^[3]

Background

In 1876, Korea established a trade treaty with Japan after Japanese ships approached Ganghwado. Treaty negotiations with several Western countries were made possible by the completion of this initial Japanese overture.^[4]

In 1882, the Americans concluded a treaty and established diplomatic relations,^[5] which served as a template for subsequent negotiations with other Western powers.

Two weeks after the United States–Korea Treaty of 1882, a military revolt called Imo Incident occurred in Seoul. The soldiers occupied Changdeok Palace, and the Korean government asked for military help from China. The revolt was suppressed by Chinese troops. After the incident, Chinese political influence over Korea started.^[3]

Treaty provisions

The Chinese and Koreans negotiated and approved a multi-article treaty with provisions affecting Korean diplomatic relations with Western nations.^[6]

On October 1, 1882, Chinese representatives Li Hongzhang, Zhou Fu, and Ma Jianzhong signed the Sino-Korean Maritime and Overland Trade in Tianjin, China, with Korean representatives Jo Neng-ha, Kim Hong-jip, and Yu Yun-jung. From the outset, both sides established a guiding principle: Korea was a vassal state of China, autonomous but not independent. The Korean side fully agreed with this principle.

The treaty consisted of eight articles and granted the Qing government a series of rights in Korea, including extraterritorial jurisdiction (consular jurisdiction) and customs supervision authority, among others. It even placed the Korean king and the Qing government’s Beiyang minister on an equal footing. However, the preamble of the regulations stated:

"The Regulations for Maritime and Overland Trade signed this time are intended as a demonstration of China’s preferential treatment toward its vassal state. They are not part of the provisions uniformly applied to all treaty nations."^[7][8]

The Joseon-Qing Communication and Commerce Rules sought to mitigate the effects of increased diplomatic intercourse and expanded commercial relations with Western powers. The negotiated agreement caused unintended consequences.^[1]

See also

• Unequal treaties
• China-Korea Treaty of 1899
• Chinese concession of Incheon

References

Notes

Citations

1. Moon, Myungki. "Korea-China Treaty System in the 1880s and the Opening of Seoul: Review of the Joseon-Qing Communication and Commerce Rules," Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine Journal of Northeast Asian History, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Dec 2008), pp. 85–120.
2. Chu, Samuel C. (1994). Li Hung-chang and China's Early Modernization, p. 183., p. 183, at Google Books
3. Lin 2014, pp. 69–71.
4. Kim, Chun-gil. (2005). The History of Korea, pp. 107–108., p. 107, at Google Books
5. Yŏng-ho Ch'oe et al. (2000). Sources of Korean Tradition, p. 235, p. 235, at Google Books; excerpt, "Korea signed a similar accord with the United States (the Treaty of Chelump'o, 1882) that was followed by similar agreements with other Western nations;" Korean Mission to the Conference on the Limitation of Armament, Washington, D.C., 1921–1922. (1922). Korea's Appeal to the Conference on Limitation of Armament, p. 29., p. 29, at Google Books; excerpt, "Treaty and Diplomatic Relations Between the United States and Korea. Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation dated May 22, 1882."
6. Korean Mission p. 32., p. 32, at Google Books; ; excerpt, "Treaty and Diplomatic Relations Between the United States and Korea. China's Claims Of Suzerainty Over Korea"; excerpt, "The position assumed by [China] toward Korea since contracting the treaty with it in 1882 has in no wise been affected by recent events. Korea's treaty independence since then has been for us an established and accepted fact."
7. "晚清中国在朝鲜推行过帝国主义么？". Retrieved 2024-12-07.
8. 宋, 成有 (2006). 新编日本近代史. 北京大学出版社. ISBN 9787301107195.

Bibliography

• Chu, Samuel C. (1994). Li Hung-chang and China's Early Modernization. Armonk, New York: Sharpe. ISBN 1-56324-242-7 (hc); ISBN 1-56324-458-6 (pb); OCLC 246962919
• Kim, Chun-gil. (2005). The History of Korea. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-33296-7 (hc); ISBN 0-313-36053-7 (pb); OCLC 56481552
• Duus, Peter (1998). The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-92090-3.
• Kim, Jinwung (2012). A History of Korea: From "Land of the Morning Calm" to States in Conflict. New York: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-00024-8.
• Seth, Michael J. (2011). A History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-742-56715-3.
• Lin, Ming-te (8 December 2014), "Li Hung-chang's Suzerain Policy toward Korea, 1882-1894", Chinese Studies in History, 24 (4): 69–96, doi:10.2753/CSH0009-4633240469
• Korean Mission to the Conference on the Limitation of Armament, Washington, D.C., 1921–1922. (1922). Korea's Appeal to the Conference on Limitation of Armament. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 12923609
• Yŏng-ho Ch'oe; William Theodore De Bary; Martina Deuchler and Peter Hacksoo Lee. (2000). Sources of Korean Tradition: Volume Two: From the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Centuries. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-12030-3 (hc); ISBN 0-231-12031-1 (pb); OCLC 490642365