The Origin and Development of Sino-French-Vietnamese Relations--A Masterpiece of 20th Century Chinese Historiography

Author: Shao Xunzheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-12-01
Features: This book series is written by Shao Xunzheng, who made the best use of China's own archival materials to create a "History of China's Relations with the Outside World" by Chinese People. ("The Beginning and End of China-France-Vietnam Relations" (hereinafter referred to as "The Relations Begin"), not only excels in its rich sources, but also in its well-chosen topic, giving the author ample room to demonstrate his macro-perspective, which is widely recognized. "The Relations Begin" combines the international situation, changes in French political circles, and China's domestic political struggles, integrating diplomatic history with political history. Starting from tracing the China-France-Vietnam relationship, it analyzes the Sino-French War. Its depth of research and breadth of vision surpass those of foreign bourgeois scholars and old-style feudal scholars of the same era. The paper keenly exposes the lowly tricks used by French diplomats in China to achieve their aggressive purposes, deceiving the Chinese side, which lacked experience in international negotiations. The paper also refutes the various fallacies put forward by French politicians to justify their aggression against China and the annexation of southern territories from China from the perspective of international law. Decades later, this work remains one of the important academic works on the China-France-Vietnam relationship and the Sino-French War, as well as Shao Xunzheng's most labor-intensive work.