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Chapter 1076: China-Belgium Tianjin Concession Redemption Agreement

Subsequently, Deputy Foreign Minister Gu Weijun proposed conditions to Belgium's Ambassador to China Loren to shock the world. China is willing to save Belgium and Belgians, and provide Belgium with ten tons of isatis root powder and ten tons of which may be allowed to treat super influenza virus jvis in the trial stage, and redeem Belgium's Tianjin Concession to Belgium for two million silver dollars.

If the opinions of the drug redemption concession are accepted, Sino-foreign relations will inevitably have a new positioning. China is so aggressive because it changes its positioning from Belgium. China cannot always become a foreign colony and semi-colonial. Only by cutting off all the interests of these foreigners and allowing them to do business legally can they truly achieve national independence.

After the State Council's consultation, Premier Tang Shaoyi authorized the full authority to deal with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Gu Weijun to negotiate the matter of drug exchange for concessions.

Gu Weijun told Belgian Ambassador Lohn: "The Belgian concession in China has nothing to do with the national interests of Belgium. The concession is located in the most remote place in Tianjin, and is also the most backward among the nine-country concessions, and its area is also the smallest. After the quarantine began, we have received help from the Biguo people in the concession several times. However, we will not rescue them free of charge. These water, electricity, coal, and food require a large amount of money. Now that China is at a high price, I don't know how much money can be purchased by Biguo people. I suggest that Biguo should consider returning the Belgian concession.

To China, the people of Biyuan will receive free assistance from our government. Moreover, the interests of Biyuan in China will not be affected, and we will reclaim the management and legal rights of the concession. If Biyuan considers it, my country will redeem ten tons of isatis root powder and Dayuan Drink powder. Now the price of ten tons of isatis root powder and ten tons of Dayuan Drink on the international black market is equivalent to one million pounds. I think Biyuan government and the past should know how generous this condition is. Please convey it to us. We only have three days. Because it is difficult to ensure that these ten tons of isatis root powder and ten tons of Dayuan Drink will not be sold to other countries due to the price increase."

"It is unknown whether the effect of Isatis root powder and Dayuan Drink is effective." Luo En sneered, "Maybe you have sold the garbage to our country. In my opinion, traditional Chinese medicine is witchcraft. Traditional Chinese medicine is witchcraft medicine."

Gu Weijun laughed and said, "But why do medicinal materials merchants all over the world come to China to buy it? If you don't want it, we will sell it to British merchants. I think even if it doesn't work, they are willing to buy witchcraft medicines."

"You are blackmailing." Lorne roared.

Faced with the anger of the Belgian minister, Gu Weijun smiled indifferently and said, "A man ran to my home and smashed everything in my home. He stole our pot. Now the robber who ran into my house is sick. I hope to redeem my pot with the medicine and money that he cured. Am I a robber?"

Lorne was so refuted that he could not speak. Then Lorne immediately called Belgian King Albert I. After some communication, Albert I submitted an emergency plan to the Belgian parliament. Since Belgium is a kingdom system and its country is relatively small, the power of the Belgian king exceeds that of the parliament, and he could interfere with the parliament. After Albert I considered it for several hours, he believed that Belgian interests were in the colonies of Africa and Congo, and ensuring Belgian interests in Congo were far more important than the hundreds of acres of concessions in China. Later, Albert I made a decision with the parliament to abandon the Belgian concession in China, that is, the Belgian Tianjin concession.

The origin of the Belgian concession in China was on February 6, 1902. Zhang Lianfen, Tianjin Daotai of the Qing government, signed the "Tianjin Biguo Concession Contract" with Gades, the acting consul in Tianjin. It is located south of the Russian concession, between Haihe and Dazhigu Village, and to Xiaosunzhuang, with an area of ​​740 acres. At the same time, it is also stipulated that if the business in the Biguo Concession prospers in the future, a passage from Biguo Concession to Jingshan Railway can be opened as a reserve concession for Biguo Concession. This land must not be sold to other countries.

However, since the Russian Concession has been recaptured by the Chinese government, the Belgian Concession has become "single overseas" and has no development value alone. Even the Chinese people living in the Belgian Concession feel bored and there are even fewer merchants. Only one of the agency sales points of Browning Arms Company is often visited.

The news of China's redemption of the Chinese Concession in Belgium was quickly spread in China and the whole world. The Chinese government's use of isatis root powder to redeem its territory was indeed a precedent for the whole world. Because Belgium does not have much interests in China, it can even be said that Belgium does not need any Belgian goods except for purchasing ceramics and silk in China. Apart from the Browning pistol, Chinese workers can already produce pistols themselves, and there are regulations on the model and specifications of Chinese weapons. Browning pistols are only collected by a few enthusiasts. Belgium's interests in China will not be damaged by the return of the concession, but because Belgium returned the concession, the Chinese government promised to give Belgian merchants more benefits in terms of tariffs in the future.

At present, US Ambassador Schulman, British Ambassador Macre, French Ambassador Fu Leyou, Japanese Ambassador Isaburo Yoshida, Italian Ambassador to China Folundino immediately went to the Belgian Embassy in China, advising Belgian Ambassador Loren not to destroy the interests of foreigners in China, because once the Belgian Concession is redeemed by China, it will inevitably increase the ambitions of the Chinese government. Others are not fools, and naturally they can see that the purpose of redeeming the Belgian Concession is other concessions. Especially Japan is extremely nervous. Although Japan does not have the largest concession in China, it has the largest area and the most severe exploitation of the Chinese.

Yoshida Issaburo said: "If the Belgian Kingdom cannot reach the threat of the Chinese government, Belgium will have no status in the world in the future, and Belgium's colonial prestige in Africa will also be seriously threatened."

However, despite the admonitions of other ambassadors, the domestic situation in Belgium was pressing. On August 15, more than 4,000 people in Belgium found symptoms such as cold, cough, fever, etc., and about 200 elderly people over 60 died of illness within less than three days. King Albert I made a quick decision and ordered Lorne to ignore other countries. We signed a concession agreement alone to resolve the problems in Belgium.

Wang Maoru also knew that the Kingdom of Belgium was under tremendous psychological pressure, and then increased the bargaining chips to Loren, increasing the ten tons of isatis root powder to 40 tons, and increasing the original drink from ten tons to twenty tons and to three million silver dollars ransom. Loren got enough benefits and immediately signed the "China-Bi Tianjin Concession Redemption Agreement" with the Chinese government.

The China-Bee Agreement includes returning all rights in the Belgian Tianjin Concession to the Chinese government, and even the extraterritorial rights of the Belgian nationals in China. The announcement of the Belgian Kingdom to abandon extraterritorial rights caused further dissatisfaction among other countries. King George V of England directly sent a telegram to his distant uncle, King Albert I of Belgium to state his interests, but Albert I rejected George V's suggestion on the grounds that the Belgian state was more important.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense placed a commercial order to the Kingdom of Belgium and purchased Browning pistols from the Belgium Browning Arsenal for orders of no less than 10,000 per year. The standard size is stipulated by the Chinese Defense Forces. The order is a ten-year order. That is to say, from 1923 to 1933, the Chinese Defense Forces will purchase no less than 100,000 Browning pistols with a caliber of 7.63 mm from Belgium. Browning Company also made special pistol settings for China and set the Browning pistol model of the Bc1923 pistol, which is specially used for Chinese Defense Forces officers. b is the first letter of Belgian German, c is the first letter of Chinese German (Belgium is a German-speaking country). The cooperation agreement between China and Belgium in 1923 was established in 1923, so it is named.
Chapter completed!
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