Political Reforms in a Global Context: Some Foreign Perspectives on Constitutional Thought in Late Imperial China

Abstract

This paper presents some outside views on the emergence of Chinese constitutional thought. It shows that Chinese constitutionalism in the beginning of the 20th century did matter to the outside world and did attract a large interest on a global scale. Foreign views were quite diverse. While most observers welcomed the adoption of a constitution in principle, there were many words of caution that such a transition should not be rushed, notedly among diplomats and politicians. Foreign powers thus adopted a policy of not pressuring China to adopt a constitution. In particular, this paper redefines the role of the Japanese statesman Itô Hirobumi, who continually tried to give his advice to the Qing government up until his death in 1909.

Keywords

• constitution
• late Qing
• political reforms
• foreign perceptions
• Itô Hirobumi