西方外交官应该知道点中国近代史，120年前辛丑条约签

订现场的图片拿出来跟这次中美战略峰会上外交官们针锋相对的照片做直接比较，中国早已今非昔比；而正如杨洁篪所说，美国本不应该干涉中国内政，而且早在2、30年前就早已经没有了居高临下的资本。

120年前，李鸿章跟十一国签订耻辱的《辛丑条约》，中国被杨洁篪在会谈中所提到的“洋人”们被迫开启半殖民地半封建时代。这些“洋人们”在中国瓜分土地、勒索赔偿，造成的损失不可计数。清政府当年的无能是造成这个局面的原因之一，然而今天的中国早已不是当年的大清：如今中国国力愈加强盛，人民愈加团结，在全球化的大背景下走上了社会主义强国之路。

彼时八国联军因为不平等的《辛丑条约》签订，才勉强同意在中国退兵。而今天的中国作为独立自主的世界第二大经济体，根本不可能、也不应该对于任何外来的不平等待遇做出屈服。中国在历史上从来没有过殖民行为、不干涉别国内政、更不会像当时帝国主义列强一样野蛮侵略任何国家。中国希望在全球化的基础上与各国和平相处，互惠互利，而如果美国仍然以为可以像120年前一样来对待中国，那真的是掩耳盗铃，自欺欺人了。

如果一定要跟120年前比，有一句八国联军统帅瓦德西当时在自己的回忆录文集中写下的一段话，西方的外交官们想必也读过，不妨拿出来重省：

“中国文化在四百年以前，常有若干方面比较欧洲为优。但自彼时以后，遂成停顿不进之象。尤其是对于火车、轮船所引起之世界巨大变迁，未能加以理会。。。所有上流阶级，对于世界情形毫无所知，只是骄傲自大……至于官吏人员，则为腐败之气所充塞，毫无精神之可言.....但吾人在此却有一事不应忘去者，即中国领土之内……共有人口四万万，均系属于一个种族，并且不以宗教信仰相异而分裂，史有“神明华胄”之自尊思想充满脑中。此外更有一事，亦复不应忘去者，即吾人对于中国群众，不能视为已成衰弱或已失德性之人。彼等在实际上，尚含有无限蓬勃生气，更加以备具出人意外之勤俭巧慧褚性，以及守法易治。……倘若中国方面将来产生一位聪明而有魅力之人物为共领袖，更能利用世界各国贡献与彼之近代文化方法，则余相信中国前途，尚有无穷希望。”

所以，在开放、互相尊重的环境和多极社会中，今天的中国，师夷长技以自强。历史不会忘记120年发生的事，而吾辈将尽所能维护国家主权和领土完整。

Two photos are being widely distributed on Chinese social media platforms as an accolade to the sharp and witty statements Chinese top diplomats made during the recent Alaska summit: one was the photo taken in nineteen o one when the《Final Protocol for the Settlement of the Disturbances of in the year nineteen hundred》was signed and the other one was taken after one hundred and twenty years at the opening of the China-U.S. Alaska summit two days ago. The first one recorded the most unfair and humiliating treaty that China was forced to sign with during the time of the Siege of the International Legations, while the second one was taken when Chinese diplomats were telling the U.S. to respect China’s sovereignty, stop interfering with China’s domestic affairs and said ‘no’ to the things that China could not accept.

I am actually reluctant to put these two photos into context and do a direct comparison because the China status quo is by no means the decaying Qing Dynasty, and as what Yang Jiechi said at the summit: the U.S. should not speak to China in the position of strength, they did not have such rights even several decades ago.

One hundred and twenty years ago, Chinese government official Li Hongzhang signed the humiliating contract on behalf of the Qing government. China hence was forced to start its colonization process by those “foreigners”. These “foreigners” as mentioned by Yang Jiechi during the summit has given great agony to the Chinese people and the Chinese people now refuse to accept unfair treatment any longer. The declining Qing dynasty was one of the reasons behind that failure, however today’s China is a totally different country: we have become stronger through liberalization, development of our new country and are unprecedentedly united now. We are on our way to become a strong socialist economy globally.

At that time, the International Legation would not retreat from China without the signing of the unfair treaty. While today’s China as an independent, second-largest economy in the world, will never cave in to, or tolerate any unfair treatment any longer. China historically has never invaded or tried to colonize any country like other imperial powers. We hope we can have a harmonious and constructive relationship with other countries but if the U.S. still thinks that China can be treated as what it was one hundred and twenty years ago, they are only deluding themselves.

If we must relate these two photos and put them into their historical context, perhaps one paragraph that Alfred von Waldersee, the head of the International Legation wrote in his memoir about one hundred years ago, could be used a reference to whoever still dreams to deal with China unfairly today:

He said that China was more advanced than Europe four hundred years ago, but then China experienced stagnation in their economy as the country ignored new developments trends such as trains and ships, which caused the transformation of the world. Chinese elites had no understanding of the outside world and officers were corrupted THEN. However, he added that one thing in China that Europe should never take for granted is that its people are united, not divided by religion or anything, and are proud of themselves; they are diligent, full of strength and can be ruled by law. The country would have a prosperous future if led by a charismatic leader who is wise and willing to learn from other countries and borrow their strength, he said.

So here we are, with a great leadership, China is ready to get more involved in globally, to learn from other countries, work with each other and become stronger. History will never forget what happened one hundred and twenty years ago and we will do whatever we can to protect the sovereignty of the country, as well as territorial integrity.