The , also known as the Tianjin Convention, was an agreement signed by the

Qing Empire The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

of China and the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

in Tientsin, China on 18 April 1885. It was also called the "Li-Itō Convention". Following the Gapsin Coup in

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

in 1884, tensions had been escalating between China and Japan over external influence over the

dynasty of Korea and its royal family. During this coup, the Japanese supported a coup attempt aimed at reforming and modernizing Joseon. The coup plotters sought to eliminate legal enforced social distinctions, eliminating the privileges of the

yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon period. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil officials and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats wh ...

class. The coup failed when China dispatched 1500 soldiers under

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 18596 June 1916) was a Chinese general and statesman who served as the second provisional president and the first official president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1916 and ...

. The Japanese and the coup plotters fled to Japan. The driving out of the Japanese soldiers by Chinese troops greatly increased tension between the two powers. Following extensive negotiations,

Itō Hirobumi Kazoku, Prince , born , was a Japanese statesman who served as the first prime minister of Japan from 1885 to 1888, and later from 1892 to 1896, in 1898, and from 1900 to 1901. He was a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior state ...

of Japan and

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901) was a Chinese statesman, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in importan ...

of China attempted to defuse tensions by signing an agreement whereby: # Both nations would pull their expeditionary forces out of Joseon within four months. # Gojong of Joseon would be advised to hire military instructors from a third nation for the training of the Joseon army. # Neither nation would send troops to Joseon without prior notification to the other. The Convention effectively eliminated China's claim to exclusive influence over the

dynasty of Korea, and made Joseon a co-

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

of both China and Japan.Hsu, the Rise of Modern China, pp.331 Despite negotiations, the convention was no deterrent to either party, and the next serious confrontation over Joseon quickly escalated into the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

. The immediate result was a rise in Chinese influence over Joseon, which appointed Yuan Shikai as a Resident, a director of Joseon affairs (1885–1894).

References

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Notes

{{Qing dynasty topics China–Japan treaties Japan–Korea relations 1885 in Japan 1885 in Korea 1885 treaties Treaties of the Qing dynasty Treaties of the Empire of Japan