China in the International System, 1918-20: The Middle Kingdom at the Periphery

By a systematic study of the neglected subject of China's diplomatic history of 1918-1920, the book contends that China and China's place in the post-war East Asian international order were the central themes of the reconstruction of that order.

Against the background of China's gradual integration into the international system, the Chinese diplomacy of the period showed that China had fully accepted basic principles and values and shared common interests and common working institutions of the emerging international society of states and was in turn accepted by the other members of the community.

This study, conducted in the theoretical framework of the expansion of international society, argues, however, that China's entry into international society is not marked by China's meticulously fulfilling the European standard of "civilization" but by a revolt against the Treaty System in China based on a demand that principles universally acknowledged as governing relations between European nations should equally be applicable to China's international relations.