France and Germany in the South China Sea, c. 1840-1930: Maritime competition and Imperial Power (Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies)

This book explores imperial power and the transnational encounters of shipowners and merchants in the South China Sea from 1840 to 1930. With British Hong Kong and French Indochina on its northern and western shores, the 'Asian Mediterranean' was for almost a century a crucible of power and an axis of economic struggle for coastal shipping companies from various nations. Merchant steamers shipped cargoes and passengers between ports of the region. Hong Kong, the global port city, and the colonial ports of Saigon and Haiphong developed into major hubs for the flow of goods and people, while Guangzhouwan survived as an almost forgotten outpost of Indochina. While previous research in this field has largely remained within the confines of colonial history, this book uses the examples of French and German companies operating in the South China Sea to demonstrate the extent to which transnational actors and business networks interacted with imperial power and the process of globalisation. Bert Becker is Associate Professor in Modern European History at the University of Hong Kong. He has written prize-winning biographies on Georg Michaelis, the German chancellor of 1917, and Michael Jebsen, shipowner and politician in Imperial Germany. His research interests include the maritime and business histories of Hong Kong, China and Vietnam Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations List of Illustrations 1 Introduction References 2 The South China Sea in History The Age of Commerce (1450–1680) The Chinese Century (1740–1840) The Early Imperialist Age (1839–61) Anglo-French Imperialism and German Commerce (1839–60) The Prussian Expedition to East Asia (1860/61) References 3 Hong Kong The German Business Community Tramp Shipping Markets in East Asia The M. Jebsen Shipping Company Asian Crews and European Shipmasters The French Business Community Auguste Raphael Marty (1841–1914) The Decline of the French Flag References 4 Saigon Cochinchina (1840–1870) French Naval Expansion in Southern Vietnam Traders in Saigon Prussian Reports on Cochinchina German Merchants in Local Politics The Franco-German War of 1870–1871 Saigon in the War War Aims and Peace Terms Empress Eugenie and the Cochinchina Offer The Debate on Cochinchina The Navies in East Asia High Politics and German Merchants (1875–1920s) The Frankfurt Treaty and Its Repercussions German Consuls in Saigon Increasing Tensions (1875–1914) The First World War and Its Aftermath The Rice Industry of Cochinchina Speidel & Company in Saigon The Dutch Consulate References 5 Haiphong Tonkin and the South China Sea (1600s–1885) The Red River Delta The Tonkin Crisis of 1873 The Tonkin Campaign 1882/83 French Embargoes on Shipments Establishing French Rule Over Tonkin “Le Grand Port du Tonkin” The Unimposing Settlement The Port as Problem French Colonial Port City Chinese Merchants in Haiphong Speidel and Company in Haiphong Marty et d’Abbadie The Subsidised River Shipping Service of Tonkin Paddle Steamers Explorations Experiences Railways as Competitors Édouard Jules d’Abbadie (1853–1904) The Tonkin Shipping Company French Coastal Steamers in the South China Sea Asian and European Crews Shipping Boycotts in the South China Sea The Boycott of 1895 and Sino-French Diplomacy Marty and the “Chinese League of Tonkin Merchants” The Haiphong Shipping Boycotts of 1907 and 1909–1910 Steamships and Illicit Trades References 6 Guangzhouwan French Politics in the South China Sea (1898–1904) France’s Sphere of Influence in Southern China Military Seizure and Chinese Resistance The Distant Outpost Naval Politics and the Defence of Indochina Shipping and Politics Maritime Links The Guangzhouwan Postal Steamer Service Guangzhouwan in German Government Records (1898–1914) The Almost Forgotten French Territory References 7 Conclusion Index Ce livre explore le pouvoir impérial et les rencontres transnationales d'armateurs et de marchands en mer de Chine méridionale de 1840 à 1930. Avec Hong Kong britannique et l'Indochine française sur ses rives nord et ouest, la Méditerranée asiatique a été pendant près d'un siècle un creuset de puissance et un axe de lutte économique pour les compagnies de cabotage de diverses nations. Les vapeurs marchands transportaient des cargaisons et des passagers entre les ports de la région. Hong Kong, la ville portuaire mondiale, et les ports coloniaux de Saigon et Haiphong sont devenus des plaques tournantes majeures pour la circulation des marchandises et des personnes, tandis que Guangzhouwan a survécu en tant qu'avant-poste presque oublié de l'Indochine. Alors que les recherches antérieures dans ce domaine sont largement restées dans les limites de l'histoire coloniale, ce livre utilise les exemples d'entreprises françaises et allemandes opérant en mer de Chine méridionale pour démontrer dans quelle mesure les acteurs transnationaux et les réseaux d'affaires ont interagi avec le pouvoir impérial et le processus de la mondialisation