This time, Japan's attitude changed drastically, and it went so far as to vigorously urge China to sever diplomatic relations with Germany. On the day that China lodged a protest against Germany, the Japanese foreign minister told the Chinese envoy to Japan that there was no need to raise a protest first, and there was no need to wait for Germany's response to the protest, but that he could directly announce the severance of diplomatic relations and vigorously encourage China to enter the war as soon as possible.

Why did Japan's attitude towards China's entry into the war change radically? First, Yuan Shikai is dead, and the real power of the Chinese government is in the hands of the warlord Duan Qirui. Duan Qirui was pro-Japanese, and if China entered the war, Japan could strengthen its influence in China through Duan Qirui. Second, Japan has successively obtained promises from the Western powers that it will inherit Germany's interests in Shandong, and that China's entry into the war can be exchanged for further recognition by the foreign powers.

While the great powers overwhelmingly supported China's entry into the war, there was a great debate within China about the question of entering the war, involving diplomats, politicians, military generals, and all sectors of society. Although there were different opinions, the mainstream opinion was that China should enter the war, believing that China's participation in the war against Germany was to deal with Japan and to occupy a place in the post-war peace conference. In the long run, it is to join the international community, move towards internationalization, and give China a voice in the new world order.

Duan Qirui, who was in charge, also believed: "Since Japan has joined, if I do not participate, Japan will inevitably get involved in plundering Qingdao," and "although Germany is a great power today, it is difficult for the public to be angry." It is expected that it will be difficult to win. In the future, if the Entente wins, China will become an outsider, and if China participates, it will be a completely different situation. At that time, China will also be one of the victorious powers, and having a place at the peace conference will certainly enhance China's international reputation.

Thus, on August 14, 1917, after about half a year of struggle and debate, the Chinese government declared war on Germany. At this time, there was less than one year and three months to go until November 11, 1918, the end of World War I.

After China entered the war, it recovered the concessions of Germany and Austria in Tianjin and Hankow, revoked the consular jurisdiction of the two countries, and obtained a promise from the Entente that the repayment of the Gengzi indemnity would be suspended for five years from December 1917 (Russia only agreed to suspend the repayment of 1/3) without additional interest; The German-Austrian indemnity was permanently revoked (accounting for 20.91%, of which more than 9,000 taels for Germany and 4 million taels for Austria-Hungary); The fixed tariff rate of 5% stipulated in the "Agreement Tariff" clause of the Treaty of Nanjing was changed, and the state increased the tariff by 5%; The Chinese troops were allowed to be temporarily stationed within 20 miles of Tianjin to guard against the German-Austrian diaspora.

In this way, the Beiyang government not only obtained the conditions in favor of China in the "Treaty of Versailles", but also received about 84 million yuan in war reparations from Germany. Combined with the German ships that China had acquired during the war, and the Gengzi indemnity that had been waived, China's total revenue amounted to 250 million yuan.

Generally speaking, China's participation in World War I not only successfully integrated into the world pattern, but also reaped rich rewards with a small effort, which can be called a brilliant diplomatic victory.

Although China was a belligerent country, it did not send combat troops to Europe. On September 14, 1917, the Chinese government officially announced its willingness to send troops to France to fight in the war, proposing that China could send 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers to France within six weeks. However, since Japan did not send a single soldier to the European theater for the Entente, Japan did not want China to send troops either. Despite the efforts of the Western powers, including Japan, China was unable to send troops into the war.

Because China failed to send troops to the war, it was called "declaring no war". On the side of the Entente, some people ridiculed China for its "ineffective participation in the war" and as a "theoretical participant". Later, Japan's delegates to the Paris Peace Conference even accused China of "not sending troops, declaring no war, not issuing invitations, and not setting up seats."

Although China did not send troops to participate in the war, it "replaced soldiers with workers", sent a large number of laborers to the European battlefield, and sent large quantities of grain to some countries of the Entente countries, making an indelible and significant contribution to the victory of the war. To say that China was a special belligerent in World War I is also because as a victorious country, it did not receive the respect and treatment that the victorious country deserved, and the purpose of China's participation in the war was completely unattainable.

In China's modern history, Japan has always played an extremely bad role, being the first evil among the great powers to bully China and China's most dangerous enemy. After the outbreak of World War I, Japan took advantage of the fire to seize the rights and interests of Shandong in the name of declaring war on Germany, realizing its expansionist ambitions. On the issue of China's entry into the war, Japan's repeated obstructions were the biggest obstacle to China's entry into the war. China tried to solve the Shandong problem by participating in the war, and made a great contribution to the victory of World War I, but the humiliation it suffered at the Paris Peace Conference and failed to recover Shandong's sovereignty, and the root cause was also Japan. Today's China still has to be vigilant against Japan and guard against Japan.

Any sovereign country should have the right to make a choice as to what to do in the face of war. And when China entered the First World War, it could not be decided by itself, but was swayed by the great powers, and its fate was in the hands of others. The road to war is tortuous, difficult, and long, which is poignant, sighing, and thought-provoking. We must always remember that a weak country has no diplomacy and that a weak country has no say in international affairs. History shows us that prosperity and strength are the last word, and if a country is weak, it will be bullied, and if it is backward, it will be beaten. Only by becoming a great power can China safeguard its territorial sovereignty and national unity, get along with all countries in the world on an equal footing, and have its rightful place on the world stage.

Although China's participation in the war involved the element of conforming to the herd, it was not treated equally at the Paris Peace Conference, nor did it achieve its intended goals. But China's decision itself is positive and groundbreaking. By participating in the war, he abolished all unequal treaties with Germany and Austria, and set a precedent for modern China to abolish imperialist privileges in China. The suspension or postponement of the payment of Gengzi indemnity and other interest payments on loans to Germany has reduced the burden on the Chinese people to a certain extent. Broadly speaking, China's participation in the war allowed China to win a ticket to the international community, participate in the rearrangement of the international relations system for the first time as a victorious country, become a founding member of the League of Nations, and build closer institutional ties with the international community.

Around the time of Sino-Japanese participation in World War I, the essence was the competition between China and Japan for strength, the central government, and the government of Beiyang.

Since war has been declared, it is natural to have an army capable of fighting on behalf of China against the Allies. Relying on the existing army, there is no need to think about it. Comparing the gap between Japan and Soviet Russia on land later, it was not ordinarily large, and the inferiority of Soviet Russia compared with Germany in the army was not the same. As for China, by the time of World War II, the weapons were not as good as the configuration of the Japanese army during World War I. What is it that such a force, when it comes to mechanized warfare in Europe and meets with the great powers, is it not to look for torture and death?