China Severs Diplomatic Relations and Declares War on Germany

In Europe, the Great War between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers reached a turning point in early 1917. The fight reached a deadlock after three years of attrition. In order to break the stalemate in the war, on January 31, Germany declared that it would resume unlimited submarine warfare against the Allies. This move triggered a series of diplomatic reactions. Many nations that initially had been neutral announced the severance of their diplomatic relations with Germany, which ultimately caused the conflict to progress in a way that was unfavorable to the Central Powers. Following the United States’ announcement to sever its diplomatic relations with Germany, the Beijing government also made the same declaration. The Beijing government did not, however, follow the same path as the United States and other nations. It had objected and made threats to break off diplomatic ties before doing so with Germany. When the protest failed, China broke off diplomatic ties and then declared war on Germany.