The visit of China's foreign minister to Europe was a very shocking event, and the European newspapers reported the road map of China's foreign minister's visit. The passenger ship did not go through the Suez Canal, but docked at the port of Basra in the Osman Empire, and the foreign minister of China took the train straight to Istanbul.
The railway network of the Osman Empire changed the situation of the entire Middle East. Hundreds of thousands of troops did not have to rely on the legs of people, horses, and camels to cross the journey. In Basra, Baghdad, and Damascus, the Osman Empire could quickly get the latest information, and could mobilize troops to suppress local separatist actions as quickly as possible.
As a European country, the Osman Empire was much more advanced than the Kingdom of Korea. After taking over the railway and telegraph systems from the China engineering team, the Osman Empire quickly operated these two important departments. The European newspapers generally believed that the Osman Empire had greatly increased its strength with the help of China, and was developing to a more normal European country. The foreign minister of China first visited the Osman Empire, with the purpose of showing a good relationship with this quasi-ally.
"We think that the Osman Empire must pay for the railway construction according to the contract." China's foreign minister Li Xin emphasized China's attitude as soon as he came up.
"We really can't make ends meet now, and we can't repay the cost on time." The foreign minister of Osman Empire was also very frank.
The diplomats of China and the Osman Empire, who were regarded as quasi-allies in Europe, immediately began a fierce dispute when they met. This kind of straightforward negotiation involved more of a problem of attitude. China's request was to "return the money according to the contract", while the Ottoman Empire's request was "you need to give me more time". These two involved the basic attitude of the two sides in business dealings, which was a position that could not make the slightest concession.
After a few hours of arguing, it was lunch. Like China's tradition, the foreign minister of Osman Empire treated Li Xin to a big meal. After eating and drinking, they continued to talk in the afternoon. After drinking a lot at noon, Li Xin wasn't as tough in the afternoon. After all, the two sides had fully understood each other's bottom line. The construction of the railway and the telegraph network did not immediately improve the financial situation of the Osman Empire. Instead, the investment of these state-owned departments increased the financial pressure of the Osman Empire.
The negotiation in the afternoon was not in a European environment. The sturdy chairs were replaced by soft Turkish sand, and the wooden floor was replaced by a thick Arabic carpet. The host and the guests were sitting on the sofa. In the main hall, several Arab dancers were dancing Arabic knives to the Turkish music. Their bare waists, their beautiful faces, and their shiny Arabic knives gave them an extra sense of temptation. A few of the young diplomats were dumbfounded. Even an old fox like Li Xin couldn't help but feel a little excited.
"Our country still hopes to delay the payment." The foreign minister of the Osman Empire continued his persuasion.
"Definitely not." Li Xin slightly adjusted his sitting posture, still insisting on the bottom line. This line could not be broken. Once it was broken, it would be another negotiation, which was prohibited by the central government.
The foreign minister saw that Li Xin wouldn't agree no matter what, so he said bluntly, "We don't have money. Now, no matter how you force us, we can't take out the money."
Li Xin's face was no longer that hostile. He showed a gentle expression that could probably understand the difficulties of the Osman Empire. Then he slowly said, "I already know the difficulties your country has encountered, but this involves the issue of commercial credibility. The Osman Empire is also a great empire, how can it not have commercial credibility?"
In the afternoon, everyone continued to talk. After talking for the whole afternoon, there was another big meal in the evening. After eating and drinking, this meeting became even more intimate. The foreign minister of the Osman Empire treated the representative of China to a drink.
There were dancers dancing, and there were dancers sitting beside the negotiators to accompany them. Amidst the warmth and fragrance, everyone's attitude softened even more. Li Xin hugged a dancer beside him, and so did the foreign minister of the Osman Empire. The two burped and looked at each other drunkenly talking.
"The upper echelons of our country are indeed very grateful for China's help in building the railway for the Osman Empire. But now the British have taken control of Egypt, and Russia is eyeing it. In other regions, whether it is the Balkans or the Persian Gulf, all kinds of forces are causing trouble. If your country forces us to pay back the money, we really can't take out that much money. "Foreign Minister of the Osman Empire continued his position.
Li Xin said slowly, "We paid for the repair of the railway. If the Osman Empire doesn't pay back the money, it's not our foreign ministry, but our bank. The bank pressured the central government, and the central government came to me. I'll go back and say that the Osman Empire doesn't pay back the money. You're making me look bad. After this drink, I'll lose my position. What choice do you think I should make? "
After talking for so long, the foreign minister of the Osman Empire also knew that it was impossible to get Li Xin's agreement in a direct confrontation. He asked in a low voice, "Then give us a suggestion. How can we come up with conditions that your country's central government will agree to?"
This was what Li Xin wanted to hear. The Osman Empire's debt repayment ability was not strong, and China did not expect the Osman Empire's debt repayment. That bit of money was nothing to China. Vézé cared about the oil in the Persian Gulf. China had a vast territory, but there were no large oil fields in the core of East Asia. Now, the more suitable place to exploit was the small oil field in Yumen. China had discovered oil fields in the Kuwait area, and the exploration in Basra and other places was also quite effective. What China really wanted was the oil in this area. Kuwait had originally signed a ten-year lease. Now that the railway was almost finished, theoretically, China could just leave. Extending the lease was the most important thing at the moment.
This kind of thing could not be mentioned in the negotiations. Therefore, this matter had to be agreed by the Osman Empire itself. Li Xin said, "We've said before that we'll lease land in the Basra area to us. If you can negotiate this, there's still room for discussion. If this matter cannot be settled, I can't say it when I go back. "
Hearing that China was still interested in the Basra area, the foreign minister of the Osman Empire shook his head like a rattle drum. "Absolutely not!"
"Whether it's okay or not, we'll talk about it when you go back. You can't just say whether you're willing or not. How do I explain it when I go back? "
The next day, the two sides continued to talk about the first day. The Osman Empire kept "pushing", while China kept "retreating".
On the third day, the negotiations leaned towards China getting the exploration rights in Basra.
On the fourth day, the Osman Empire still did not want China to enter the Basra area, and the negotiations reached an impasse again.
On the fifth day, the two sides finally negotiated that China's lease in Kuwait would be extended for ten years. The money that the Osman Empire owed China would be repaid in RMB. In order to make the Osman Empire have the ability to repay, China got the exploration rights in Basra and other areas. The minerals in these areas were sold to China in RMB.
The foreign minister was not responsible for the specific negotiations. After the direction of the intended negotiations was determined, Li Xin immediately set off for Europe. In Italy, Greece, and France, the visit of the foreign minister of China caused a great sensation. China was a powerful country that could be compared with the Royal Navy. In this era, the European countries all regarded the British Royal Navy as their goal or backer. China's influence had inadvertently increased a lot.
When the French foreign minister talked about the Madagascar issue with China, his attitude was very tough. "France thinks that China's request for Madagascar is unreasonable."
The discussion between the two sides was very sincere. Li Xin seriously discussed the influence of the Indian Ocean Navy in Africa with the French foreign minister. The French were brave enough in words to declare that France would not yield in any way.
Li Xin replied with a smile, "Mr. Foreign Minister, I admire the courage of the French people very much. But in 1881 and the beginning of 1883, you have been driven into the sea by the Madagascar twice. Our army has completely controlled Madagascar in 1884. Now you are telling me that your team has power in Madagascar. I really don't understand where your power comes from. "
In the face of Li Xin's ridicule, the French foreign minister acted as if nothing had happened. "The Madagascar issue can continue to be discussed in the future, but the problem in French North Africa is completely different from Madagascar."
"This matter can indeed be discussed." Li Xin agreed with the position of the French side.
The negotiations between the two sides were more difficult, and there was no progress. The only thing that could be called an outcome was that everyone agreed not to solve the colonial issue by force. No matter from which angle, the French wanted to solve the Germans the most. If there was a full-scale military conflict with China, the happiest party would not be France, but Germany.
On July 11, 1884, Li Xin arrived in Berlin. Germany was very happy with the visit of the Chinese foreign minister. Bismarck hoped to buy military technology from China. Li Xin said "understood." Before this trip, Vézé's attitude towards Germany was to "drag it out." They could talk about what needed to be talked about, but the overall word was "drag it out." Chancellor Bismarck was a very good diplomat and a very good politician. Such a person would not challenge Britain's hegemony on a whim. Any technology that fell into the hands of Bismarck would not simply be used as a means of war, but as a bargaining chip. In this case, it was not wise to terminate the cooperation with Germany. Similarly, it was not wise to cooperate with Germany on a large scale.
Li Xin originally wanted to make a very ordinary visit in Germany, and then go to the more important destination of this trip, Russia. He did not expect Bismarck to also send an invitation, hoping to hold a real international conference on the African issue.
The cause of this matter was the sharp confrontation between the Belgian expeditionary force and the French expeditionary force on the lower Congo River. When the conflict with France and Belgium was inextricably entangled, the Portuguese also came out to protest Stanley's occupation of the estuary of the Congo River. The Portuguese government claimed that it had rights to this land since the 15th century. Britain saw that the Congo River basin was profitable, and took advantage of the alliance between Britain and Portugal to conclude a treaty with Portugal. Britain recognized Portugal's sovereignty over the Congo River, and Portugal guaranteed that Britain could enjoy the same commercial and shipping rights in the area.
The French government protested the signing of the Anglo-Portuguese treaty. Germany, which had a conflict with Britain, immediately publicly supported the French protest note. The United States would rather this rich area be controlled by the weaker Belgium. France, Germany, and the United States basically had the same attitude on the Congo issue, so Britain had to renounce the Anglo-Portuguese treaty, but proposed that an international conference should be held to finally resolve the Congo issue.
Germany did not have any colonies in Africa, and although Russia did not have any, Russia and Britain had many conflicts. Therefore, Britain, as one of the parties involved, also agreed to the international conference led by German Prime Minister Bismarck.
Li Xin looked at the countries that were invited to the Berlin conference. The German Empire, the British Empire, the Third Republic of France, the Chinese Min dynasty, the Russian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the United States of America, the Kingdom of Italy, the Spanish Empire, the Portuguese Empire, the Osman Empire, the Dutch Colonial Empire, the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the Kingdom of Norway, a total of 16 countries participated in the conference.
This conference was dedicated to African affairs. Except for the local African representatives, the world's powerful countries were invited.
"How long until the conference starts?" Li Xin asked Bismarck.
"A month," the Prime Minister replied.
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