Description
Book SynopsisIn this meticulously researched volume, Vincent Chang resurrects a near forgotten yet pivotal chapter of Dutch-Chinese ties to narrate how World War II, the civil war in China, and Indonesia’s decolonization redefined and remade this age-old bilateral relationship. Drawing on a unique range of hitherto unexplored archives, the book explains how China’s nascent rise on the global scene and the Netherlands’ simultaneous decline as a colonial power shaped events in Dutch-controlled Indonesia (and vice versa) and prompted a recalibration of their mutual ties, culminating in the Netherlands’ recognition of the People’s Republic and laying the foundations for Dutch and Chinese policies through to the present. Offering insightful analyses of power dynamics and international law at the close of empire, this book is a critical resource for historians and China specialists as well as scholars of international relations.
Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments List of Tables List of Plates Note Introduction 1 Dutch Diplomatic History 2 Chinese Diplomatic History 3 Merging Histories 4 Traits of Modern Dutch-Chinese Relations 5 Aims, Arguments, and Organization of the Book Part 1: Readjustment 1 Diplomatic Relations During the Prewar Years: 1927–1936 1 International Context 2 Development of Bilateral Ties 3 Dutch Official Representation in China 4 Chinese Official Representation in the Netherlands 5 Conclusion 2 Remission of the Dutch Share in China’s Boxer Indemnity 1 A Watershed Moment 2 The Central Hydraulic Research Institute at Nanjing 3 Life, Loss, and Lasting Friendship 4 Effects and Significance Plates 1–24 Part 2: Realignment 3 Diplomatic Relations during the War Years: 1937–1945 1 International Context 2 Development of Bilateral Ties 3 Dutch Official Representation in China 4 Chinese Official Representation in the Netherlands 5 Conclusion 4 Abrogation of Dutch Extraterritorial Rights in China 1 The System of Extraterritoriality in China 2 Extraterritoriality and Dutch-Chinese Treaty Relations 3 The Dutch-Chinese Treaty of 4 Effects and Significance Plates 25–45 Part 3: Reset 5 Diplomatic Relations during the Postwar Years: 1946–1950 1 International Context 2 Development of Bilateral Ties 3 Dutch Official Representation in China 4 Chinese Official Representation in the Netherlands 5 Conclusion 6 Recognition of the People’s Republic of China 1 Early Encounters 2 The Path to Recognition 3 Rationales, Response, Result 4 Effects and Significance Conclusion 1 Change and Continuity 2 Policies and People 3 Power Dynamics 4 Past and Present 5 The Future Past Appendix 1: Chronology of Major Events Appendix 2: Overview of Senior Envoys, 1927–1950 Appendix 3: Exchange of Notes Dated 4 April 1933 Appendix 4: Joint Announcement Dated 15 February 1943 Appendix 5: Dutch-Chinese Treaty of 29 May 1945 Appendix 6: Notes on Recognition, March/April 1950 Bibliography Index
