Germany and the Railway Problem in China after the Russo-Japanese War (1905–1906)

Abstract

The contribution aims to present and analyze the German view of the complicated question of railway-building in China at the end of the Qing Empire era – concretely in the years 1905–1906. The authors plan to start at the end of the Russo-Japanese war, which was a key event in the transformation of the Great Powers policy in China, with the concentration on the German policy in the Middle Kingdom. They will than turn they attention to the German economic interests in this country with special regard to the building of the Chinese railways, which were conducted by foreign companies. They will define the construction of railways as a policy of following the political and economic interests of the Great Powers in China. The contribution will also focus on the question of the German methods to gain railway concession and how successful Germany was in its policy and whether it was able to take advantage of its opportunities.