Chinese Treaty Ports of 1898
In the aftermath of the Sino Japanese War the Qing Empire looked very weak in the eyes of the world. The fact the world had widely believed that the Qing would defeat the Japanese only for the Japanese to wipe the floor with China was shocking. But they also smelled blood in the water. The age of empire building was still in full swing and with China almost everyone was looking to crave a piece off China. The question was who would be the first to move and force the Chinese to sign a treaty handing over control of a port to a foreign nation so they would gain a sphere of influence in China.
The Russians were the first to strike and carve off a piece of China. They had been for generations been looking for a warm water port that didn’t have a natural choke point. Port Arthur was such a port and was within striking distance. Even through it was at the end of some long logistical lines and thousands of kilometers from their industrial heart land, it was what they always wanted and they were going to get it. They wanted and when they learned that the Japanese might take it at the peace conference that would ended the Sino-Japanese War they let it be known that they would object to Japanese ownership of Port Arthur. This is what led the Japanese to shift their aims from the Liaodong Peninsula to the Shandong Peninsula and led to them annexing Shianshima and Ikaiei[1] at the end of their war with China.
With the Japanese having given up on the Liaodong Peninsula and shifting over to the Shandong Peninsula the Russians started to plan for a force hand over or the port. It really was their first step in their long term plan to annex Manchuria and added it to their growing empire. But the need to have a warm water port overrode the need to annex Manchuria at the moment. The Russian Pacific Fleet sailed into Port Arthur which still haven’t recovered from the Sino-Japanese War and at gun point started to move into the place. Had this been 1893, the Chinese would fought back far harder than they did. Yet by the winter of 1897-98 they barely had any fight left in them. The defeat at the hands of the Japanese had been humiliating and spark a deep debate within China about the future course they would take.
By March 1895, Port Arthur as the Russians called it had all but been taken over by the Russians. This sparked a crisis but the Russians threaten war against the Chinese if they didn’t agree to their terms. With the Russians eyeing a lot more than just Port Arthur and knowing this the Chinese agreed. This would lead to the first of many treaties signed in Peking in 1898. Under the terms of the Russian treaty the Russians were given a rent free lease at Port Arthur for the next 25 years. Russia believed at that time it would be able to find a reason to go to war against China before then that wouldn’t cause the British to jump on them. It was why they had when with only a 25 year lease instead of the more standard 99 years leases that were signed at this point in time.
By doing what the Russians did set off a massive land grab rush by almost all the great powers at first. Only the United States at the start of 1898 was oppose to diving China up into different sphere of influence. The US had started working to stop this but this would change as events in Baltimore made it clear that the British wouldn’t support their ideas their positions would change on the subject. Without another major power supporting them, the US knew their ideas would go nowhere. This sparked another debate within the halls of both the White House and Congress as what should the US do.
The British were the second to move. With the defeat of China at the hands of Japanese the British were worried about the defense of Hong Kong which they had annexed in the aftermath of the First Opium War. However they were also worried about the Russians who had just gained their long sought after warm water port, even if it was a leased port. Using their status as most favored nation within the Qing Empire, the British pushed through a treaty that achieved of all their aims. They would gain what would be known as the New Territories[2] for their Crown Colony of Hong Kong. This would be a 99 year lease of these territories, with the opinion to buy these territories in 1997 for a set price of 50,000 pounds adjusted for inflation.
Further north it was able to gain a lease on what would become known as Znifu Bay Concession or as the British called it Port Edwards[3]. This lease had more to do with the Russian lease of Port Arthur than the British wanting to build up the area. They wanted to remind the Russians that they controlled the seas and could shut down their port if they wanted. Unlike the New Territories, the British really had no plans to build up Port Edwards outside what was needed to host a fleet to keep the Russians in check. It was a case of remining the Russians, the British were the top dog. Unlike the New Territories which was a 99 year lease with an opinion to buy, Port Edwards was to be in place so long as the Russians were in control of Port Arthur.
The French also struck at around the same time. The French wanted their own Hong Kong. They were able to force the Chinese into signing over a 99 year lease with the opinion to buy in 1997 of Kouang-Tcheou-Wan[4]. This location of this port was strategically located on the Leizhou Peninsula and ease to defend. The French then placed control of their new port in China under the office of Governor of Indochina.
For the British they were treaty bound to help the Germans achieve a treaty port in China. After some hasty recon work on the part of the Germans, they selected Haizhou Bay to be their concession. Like the terms of other Europeans they gained a 99 year lease with the rights to buy the Haizhou Bay Concession[5] in 1997. The locals did fight the Germans fairly hard for the first few days after the Germans came to claim their concession, but between the newly formed Imperial German Marine Service[6] and the 28 cm shells of the three strong Brandenburg class Battleships the Germans were able to make their claim stick.
Italy also wanted to carve their piece of silver out China. This was more out of the prestige of having a leased port than for trade. With some help from the British they were able to get the Sanmen Bay Concession[7] for a 99 year lease with the opinion to buy outright in 1997. The Italians like the Germans had a major fight on their hands. They had sent two of their three Re Umberto Ironclad Battleships with a regiment of infantry to take control of the Sanmen Bay Concession. It took the Italians heavy use of their 13.5 inch British built guns on their ironclads and five days of heavy fighting to take control of the concession.
Finally there was the United States. At first the US opposed all of these treaty ports and was working on the idea to be able trade with all of China without having to deal with other nations SOIs. The Open Door Note as it was known when it was being drafted, however it would never be sent. As the British were making it clear they wouldn’t back the United States in this idea they allowed it to die on the table. After this a debate raged as what to do next. It became a case if you can’t beat them, join them. This caused the US to be the last great power to claim a treaty port. This came to be known as the Xinghua Bay Concession[8]. Like the Europeans they got a 99 year lease with the opinion to buy in 1997. Further like the Germans and Italians the Americans had some heavy fighting in enforcing their treaty rights to this concession when they landed to take control of it in December 1898. But with heavy naval artillery support and Marines on the ground they took control of their concession in three days.
[1] Weihaiwei, but it’s the new Japanese name.
[2] ITL the New Territories cover more land than OTL New Territories. Start just south of Bao’an to the hills just north of Shezhen, to just north of a Yantian. It also includes that small island that is a few miles to the east of the OTL New Territories.
[3] Ok this includes Taozi and Znifu Bays and the city of Yanti. They wanted Weihaiwei but that’s Japanese held now. Its land border goes about 10 miles inland from starting at Zhangdao to the end of Taozi Bay. It includes all those small islands right off the coast as well.
[4] OTL here.
[5] Start at Guanhe River and go north to Lanshan. This includes the Qinshan Island and Kaishan Island which are not that far from the coast. It includes the city of Lianyungang. It covers about ~600 km squared total territorial size wise, but don’t quote me on that as my math sucks.
[6] Ok to be the Seebataillon sounds like a standard infantry unit attached to the navy. So in the aftermath of the Island War Germany forms a proper Marine Corp.
[7] Ok you start at Yuanyu Islet and work your way north till you hit this little POS town of Jieqixiang. This is about flush for the most part but in some areas you go a few kilometers inland. It comes with all those little islands that are around it.
[8] Ok you start at this little POS town of Lingchuanzhen and go north till you hit Haikouzhen. This includes that mess of islands in this part of China. It doesn’t include the city of Putian. But it pushes close to the city limits of Putian.
