The Outbreak of World War I and China’s Initial Response

When the conflict began in Europe, the Beijing government adhered to neutrality, but it had its own considerations regarding when to officially declare its neutrality. Before announcing China’s neutrality, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hoped the American government could commit itself to diplomatic support for China and Japan would guarantee its own neutrality. However, there was not any more time for diplomatic maneuvering given the internal and international circumstances. Even though it was not the best time diplomatically, the Beijing government declared its neutrality on August 6, 1914. To some extent, China’s neutrality functioned as a protective shield against Japan. After declaring its neutrality, the Beijing government still had a chance to prevent Japan from occupying Shandong, either by declaring war or directly taking back Qingdao. Realistically, it was impossible to declare war at the time. The proposal to recover Qingdao was not accepted by Britain, the United States, Japan, or other powers either. Beijing made several diplomatic efforts, but to no avail. Instead, the news of Japan’s declaration of war against Germany reached the Beijing authorities.