China joins the central powers
- Thread starter Cherico
- Start date
Waiiittttt... How do you persuade them to join first? Japan is already in on the opposite side; why would China want to give Japan another excuse to intervene?
This is the same China which was resoundingly defeated in the Sino-Japanese War in 1894-5, has gone through the Boxer Rebellion, has a provisional government established by revolution only a couple of years before, and which is no position whatsoever to start a war with anyone, right?
Cherico
Banned
France went to war during their revolution
a newly established goverment isnt less likely to go to war and
a properally $issed of chinense citazendry can really rally to the
war effort expecially if they see this as their window of opertunity to
take their country back.
This is the same China which has just seen what happened in the Boxer Rebellion a decade or so before, when all of the European powers intervened... and is now proposing to have another go?
Cherico
Banned
its not any less likely then a germany that has gone through economic
toil and has just lost a major world war and traped in a failed peace
declaring war on the french, british, the russians all with in a short time
period.
Actually China's also in the middle of the beginning of the Civil War at this point.
Doesn't mean it can't be changed, of course.
Hendryk
Banned
Well, not quite. While not very plausible from a geostrategic perspective, an alliance between China and the CP would make some sort of sense from a diplomatic one. The one grievance between Germany and China, namely the occupation of Qingdao, was resolved by the Japanese invading the place in 1914 and claiming it for themselves. Since Japan was nominally allied with the Entente, it means China could hope that a CP victory would help it get back territories occupied by Japan on the one hand, and France and Britain on the other.
China? What China?
Yuan Shikai's North China?
Bogd Khan's Mongolia?
Sun Yat Sen's South China?
Tibetan autocracy?
That western province inhabited by Turks?
Any of the dozens of warlords who ran the interior lands?
Assuming that Peking trusts that Germany will not decide to press its claim after the war. On the other hand, it did force the Japanese to return some of its gains after the Sino-Japanese War which is a plus. So did France for that matter, but then again they are allied to Britain who is allied to Japan....
On balance then, China could favour joining the Central Powers, with the knowledge that one must not trust the inscrutable Occidentals too far!
Glen
Moderator
Hmmm....maybe have the Chinese Revolution NOT happen, then when WWI breaks out, have the Chinese enter on the CP side once the Russians are in chaos and before the Americans come in. This wouldn't be completely unreasonable. From that perspective, it wouldn't be unreasonable. It might even be based in part on revanchist motives as well as an attempt to distract from domestic problems.
I think Germany could agree to let Kiautschou go. The contractual ports were trading gates to the chinese markets. As long as other european states have such ports, Germany must have some for itself. When all other european powers loose their ports, and China is allied with Germany, the Germans should get even more attractive trading rights in the whole of China without the need for a contractual port once the war is won. This is in fact quite a reasonable argument for China to join the CP: joining the Allies could win them Kiautschou, joining the CP could win them all the allied ports and maybe some territories lost to Japan or Russia. The CP have more to offer.
That's what I was thinking... Maybe even go back a little further and eliminate the Boxer Rebellion to further strengthen China's position, but that might butterfly things too much.
Susano
Banned
After WW2, the Japanese even did return Tsingtao to Germany, which in turn returned it to China. Well, that was Weimar Germany, granted, but still, Tsingtao never had much importance. More like "the others are in China, hence we need to be, too!", a prestige kind of thing (that had the positive effect of Tsingtao Beer ). And in the interwar period there was considerable German:Chinese cooperation. granted, again, Weimar Germany and Republican China, ut it should be possible to have that earlier, too, surely!
...then again, given the "Huns Speach", maybe not. Stupid Billy-2.
). And in the interwar period there was considerable German:Chinese cooperation. granted, again, Weimar Germany and Republican China, ut it should be possible to have that earlier, too, surely!...then again, given the "Huns Speach", maybe not. Stupid Billy-2.
Sockpuppet
Banned
Tsingtau beer?....
Is that how they got it going? I had heard/read/feverishly dreamed something about China brewing beer according to old German recipies, but wasn't really sure which. I know I love Tsingtau beer tho!
Is that how they got it going? I had heard/read/feverishly dreamed something about China brewing beer according to old German recipies, but wasn't really sure which. I know I love Tsingtau beer tho!