WI: The Republic of China Joined the Central Powers?

[AltoRegnant]

OTL, the republic of china was one of the latest additions to the entente, declaring war on Germany and Austria-Hungary in August 1917. By that point, both had seen most of their colonies in the area taken by the Japanese or British, though China did clear out Tientsin and Hankow. However, prior to the war, Germany had enjoyed good relations with the Chinese- afaik, better than the other European powers. Moreover, in 1916, the Japanese Empire issued the 21 and later 13 demands, which were aimed to render Northern China an effective colony of Japan due to their influence in Manchuria, Outer Mongolia, and their increased control over key industries and force japanese financiers and police on the republic. Now, OTL, Yuan Shikai haggled into the 13 demands and avoided war, but what if he failed and Japan declared war instead of that?

this would make Germany and China cobelligerants, at least in East Asia, but do Britain and France declare war? Britain might not be able to afford the indian or Malaysian troops in the area due to the small size of their own professional army in ww1, but could France sense a chance to expand french Indochina? Does this see the RoC collapse into warlordism sooner than OTL? what could that imply?

personally, i suspect that the CP would still lose, and Versailles would basically be unchanged. the obvious questions are what happens in East Asia? Does France carve the south and give Japan a free hand up north? I can't see America joining in this theater unless given no other choice, but does wilson take Japanese and French actions lying down? I don't see it.

 

[Belisarius II]

Boy that would've been foolish. As you suggest it would only have resulted in more loss of Chinese sovereignty and cost them valuable friends in the West.

 

[Bored Young Man]

But... Why?

 

[AltoRegnant]

But... Why?

tbh even if i understand why china joined the entente (winning friends in in the west,) i don't understand the logic since the only way it seems like it could work is sending men off to Europe, which they didn't. so considering japanese actions, i could see them not wanting to submit to japan and thus getting attacked, which could effectively lead to them joining the CP

 

[Glory2Cabinda]

I have the mental image of some grumpy Russian officials bitching about coordinating a offensive into Manchuria with the Japanese.

 

[naraic]

tbh even if i understand why china joined the entente (winning friends in in the west,) i don't understand the logic since the only way it seems like it could work is sending men off to Europe, which they didn't. so considering japanese actions, i could see them not wanting to submit to japan and thus getting attacked, which could effectively lead to them joining the CP

China sent 150,000 labourers to work in France and the UK after they joined the war.

Chinese involvement in ww1 was very miniscule.

If China joined the central powers its probably mainly a new sino japanese war more than anything.

 

[Imperial Advocate]

Well, I suppose that Japan shall get Manchukuo (more or less) around 20 years early of schedule. Heck, probably Hainan too.

 

[AltoRegnant]

Well, I suppose that Japan shall get Manchukuo (more or less) around 20 years early of schedule. Heck, probably Hainan too.

might that help stave off hypernationalism in japan? though i was admittedly thinking that france might take a chance to expand indochina

 

[Insane Ranter]

Japan gets all Twenty-One Demands including Group 5 basically making China a puppet of Japan. You might even get an earlier Japan-US war over China basically than 1941.

 

[Citycat]

You would get the Warlord Era and second Sino-Japanese War on steroids, with China descending into chaos and falling apart, and Japan running riot and unchecked.

To side with a power that could offer no help at all, not to mention with Kaiser Wilheim's poor diplomacy, China didn't actually have great relations with Berlin (Wilhelm was the one who coined the "Yellow Peril", and go against your major trading partner (Britain), against combined army and naval powers that you stand absolutely no chance against (Britain, Russia and Japan) would go down as one of the dumbest and biggest miscalculation in world history.

Hence why there was next to no chance of that happening IOTL.

 

[Kalga]

To side with a power that could offer no help at all, not to mention with Kaiser Wilheim's poor diplomacy, China didn't actually have great relations with Berlin (Wilhelm was the one who coined the "Yellow Peril", and go against your major trading partner (Britain), against combined army and naval powers that you stand absolutely no chance against (Britain, Russia and Japan) would go down as one of the dumbest and biggest miscalculation in world history.

Hence why there was next to no chance of that happening IOTL.

The absolute boneheaded series of events known as the Boxer rebellion happened a mere handful of years before, so having some faction within China (official or otherwise) doing something that crazy might not be as out there as it looks. Though chance are it'll just lead to another round of civil war ahead of schedule with even more foreign intervention.

 

[raharris1973]

OTL, the republic of china was one of the latest additions to the entente, declaring war on Germany and Austria-Hungary in August 1917. By that point, both had seen most of their colonies in the area taken by the Japanese or British, though China did clear out Tientsin and Hankow. However, prior to the war, Germany had enjoyed good relations with the Chinese- afaik, better than the other European powers. Moreover, in 1916, the Japanese Empire issued the 21 and later 13 demands, which were aimed to render Northern China an effective colony of Japan due to their influence in Manchuria, Outer Mongolia, and their increased control over key industries and force japanese financiers and police on the republic. Now, OTL, Yuan Shikai haggled into the 13 demands and avoided war, but what if he failed and Japan declared war instead of that?

this would make Germany and China cobelligerants, at least in East Asia, but do Britain and France declare war? Britain might not be able to afford the indian or Malaysian troops in the area due to the small size of their own professional army in ww1, but could France sense a chance to expand french Indochina? Does this see the RoC collapse into warlordism sooner than OTL? what could that imply?

personally, i suspect that the CP would still lose, and Versailles would basically be unchanged. the obvious questions are what happens in East Asia? Does France carve the south and give Japan a free hand up north? I can't see America joining in this theater unless given no other choice, but does wilson take Japanese and French actions lying down? I don't see it.

China is more likely to do this if France falls, or at least Paris falls.