Great Britain and the Great Powers Rivalry in North China at the Beginning of the 20th Century

At the end of the 19th century Great Britain had to cope with new problems in the Far East. During the 90s the position of its international rivals — especially Russia — rose considerably. This was quite apparent in the northern part of Qing Empire — Manchuria. Britain therefore tried to utilize the deepening of the Russo‑Japanese rivalry. After new Russian advances after the Boxer revolution, London started direct negotiations with Tokyo. Their result was the Anglo‑Japanese alliance, which ended the era of British “Splendid Isolation”. Thanks to this development and naval and economic cooperation of both countries, Japan was able to defeat Russia in the Russo‑Japanese war. This was a clear success of the British diplomacy, which was able to stop its main opponent without going to war itself. On the other hand the rise of Japan as a Great Power meant, that the Land of the Rising Sun became a key factor in the British position in China.