日中關税協定と一九三〇年關税

Abstract

This paper is an investigation of the negotiations that led to the Sino-Japanese Tariff Agreement and of the Chinese Nationalist government's decision-making processes with regard to the 1930 Tariff. The results of this investigation are as follows: 1) Both the Japanese and the Chinese governments were forced to make concessions. While the Japanese government could not but recognize the Tariff Autonomy of China, the Chinese Nationalist government was forced to promise to continue to maintain a low rate on import duties for one or three years on the several commodities imported primarily from Japan. 2) Both governments were forced to consider public opinion, especially those of industrialists within each country. In China, numerous appeals by industrial associations to the government, in addition to vigorous arguments put forward by journalists, wielded undeniable influence. The debate in the Legislative Yuan also had an important effect. 3) The decision-making process with regard to the Nationalist government's 1930 Tariff suggests that the draft tariff table drawn up by the Nationalist Tariff Committee of the Ministry of Finance was considerably revised under pressure from industrialists. The Legislative Yuan also played an important role in this revision process.