A Change of Russia’s Policy on China and Construction of Chinese Eastern Railway

Russia was fully prepared in politics, economy and diplomacy for the rights and interests of the Chinese Eastern Railway. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 and 1895, Russia took the lead in successful interference in returning the Liao in 1895. This showed that Russia had completed political preparations for seizing the rights of the Chinese Eastern Railway. Russia also used this favorable opportunity to make economic preparations for seizing the rights of the railway, i.e. giving credit to the government of the Qing Dynasty and establishing a Sino-Russian Daosheng Bank, attempting to control China’s economic lifeline. Russia signed the Sino-Russian Secret Agreement with the Qing government next year, obtaining a privilege of the Chinese Eastern Railway. The construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway was an inevitable outcome of Russia’s Far East policy and it indicated that Russia’s policy on China had a great change and brought about a remarkable influence upon the international relations of the Far East.