China’s participation in the two Hague Peace Conferences holds significant meaning in the context of Chinese modern diplomacy. Through the experience of the First Hague Peace Conference, China’s aspiration to become a ‘civilized nation’ became more pronounced. At the Second Hague Peace Conference, China’s delegation confidently engaged in ‘conference diplomacy’, resulting in the recognition of China’s status as a first-class nation.
Meanwhile, diplomatic discourse became actively circulated in China, coinciding with the two Hague Peace Conferences. This was further invigorated by the founding of “Wai Jiaobao(外交報)”, a specialized diplomatic journal. Notably, the emergence of the concept of ‘national diplomacy’, which regarded the people—not just the government or a few diplomats—as the primary actors in diplomacy, was a significant change during this period. As a result, reports on the Hague Peace Conferences in various publications went beyond merely introducing the proceedings, progressing to analyze, evaluate, and judge their significance and impact. Furthermore, this diplomatic discourse was intertwined with domestic issues, such as the constitutional movement. In this context, the ‘Hague Envoy’ from the Korean Empire was sometimes used as an argument to emphasize the need to establish a constitutional system.
The analysis in this paper of China’s participation in the Hague Peace Conferences and the related diplomatic discourse is significant in that it reveals changes occurring within Chinese modern diplomacy. This demonstrates that Chinese modern diplomacy gradually developed through a process of contention. Moreover, it indicates that Chinese modern diplomacy achieved results not only at domestic level, such as reforming the diplomatic system and transforming external perceptions but also at international level, by acquiring the qualifications to participate in international conferences as a civilized nation. Looking further, it is believed that historical discussions on Chinese modern diplomacy can be linked to Chinese contemporary diplomacy.