A Study on the Interaction Between the Legal Order of Western States and Chinese Sovereignty Before World War I

Abstract

This chapter uses comparative law, based on the primary archives and research articles, to test the reasons for China's national weakness before World War I. Since the 19th century, Western states have extended their international legal order to various parts of the world, forcing non-Western states to join this order. As a field of interaction among Western states, China's sovereignty has been weakened in the process of communication with the West. State sovereignty is supported by state capabilities This chapter attempts to use the global strategy of the UK and Germany (interacting with China) as a case study to analyze the impact of their struggle for international order norms between “hegemonic powers” and “rising powers” on non-Western states. The UK divided China's state capabilities over Shanghai; Germany divided China's sovereignty and governance over Qingdao. The game between Britain and Germany in the international order resulted in China's basic inability to achieve national capabilities before World War I, leading to the degradation of national sovereignty.