Those British parliamentarians really thought that Xu Qing had spoken to the heart. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info The so-called opium war of the British was actually in the hope of opening up the Chinese market, not simply selling opium. In fact, as long as China opens its market, it doesn't have to sell opium! Although opium is profitable, if it delays trade and smashes all other goods, the gains outweigh the losses.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't think this Jiangning Treaty should become a contradiction between China and Britain. Our biggest misunderstanding lies in the Jiangning Treaty, the land cession compensation in the Jiangning Treaty, and part of the consular jurisdiction. I think we can make appropriate discussions and amendments, in which the consular jurisdiction can be changed, I think the presiding judge should be our Chinese judge, but the British consul can send someone to observe, and even put forward appropriate opinions, but the final decision lies with our Chinese judge. ”

John Russell took the initiative to ask, "Mr. Xu, you said we could send a consul to observe?" And give an opinion? ”

"Yes, I think that the interaction between the East and the West should be to understand each other, and then seek common ground while reserving differences! Under the condition of mutual respect for sovereignty, the two sides can seek common ground. We believe that the UK should not infringe on our judicial sovereignty, but we also respect the legitimate rights and interests of British citizens, and allow the British consul to attend the hearing and even give opinions, but the final decision is still made by our Chinese judges. ”

John Russell consulted with the lawmakers and decided that this would work. After all, what the British want is trade and free trade, and this consular jurisdiction is not necessarily necessary, the focus is to protect the interests of British merchants. After all, China in this era is not China after the First Sino-Japanese War, and anyone can bully it, and Britain still does not dare to embarrass China too much. The reason why the Treaty of Nanking was signed was that the Manchus were not familiar with Britain, and Britain was not familiar with China, and neither side grasped the other's key points and objectives, which caused misunderstandings between them.

"Second, about Hong Kong. I hope that Britain will be able to transfer sovereignty over Hong Kong back to China, but I can suggest that we in China could consider establishing a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) if sovereignty is vested in China. In this special region, we Chinese officials will be the main managers, and then we will hire some British personnel as civil servants and advisers, and Hong Kong will be a place for us to exchange and understand each other between China and the United Kingdom. Hong Kong will become a 'window to the world' for us in China to see the outside world. It is also an important window for Western countries to understand China, so that on the premise of ensuring that sovereignty belongs to China, special laws and regulations are allowed to be established according to external needs. ”

John Russell and those British parliamentarians were also admiring that Xu Qing's method was too good. In fact, this Hong Kong is of little significance to Britain in this era, Hong Kong is just a small fishing village in this era, and the British want Hong Kong to be just a transit point for goods and commerce, and the significance cannot be compared with that of later generations. Therefore, since Hong Kong is of little significance, it is not impossible to give it back to China. If it can really be used as a window to the world, a place where the two sides understand each other and buffer each other, as Xu Qing said, it is not completely impossible to return sovereignty to China.

"I have no opinion on this article in principle, we will vote later, and I would like to ask Mr. Xu to continue to talk about how this treaty should be amended!" John Russell said.

Xu Qing continued: "Third, about the indemnity. We have already handed over the reparations to the British, but I know that it is impossible for the UK to return it all at once. I think it would be better for the UK to take this compensation and recruit students in China according to different years of age as tuition fees and scholarships for international students. After recruiting students, they can be sent to various secondary schools and universities in the UK to study, and this compensation will be used for tuition fees, living expenses and scholarships for international students. ”

"When these international students arrive in the UK, they will strengthen their understanding of the UK, and after returning home, they will become a bridge of friendship between our two sides. As for the indemnity, it will be returned to the Chinese students in the form of tuition scholarships according to the year, so that it can show goodwill to the Chinese people and even save the face between our two countries. Returning it in this way is good for both of us and does not hurt the face of both parties. ”

John Russell was also eye-catching, and this method was really good. The problem of the inability to communicate effectively between the two parties is what Xu Qing said. Among them, the cession of Hong Kong and the payment of reparations are the most important. As for the consular jurisdiction, this is actually secondary.

The Hong Kong issue and the reparations issue are thorns in the hearts of the Chinese, but in fact, the British do not attach absolute importance to these two items. The feelings of the Chinese and the British are different from place to place and reparations. Therefore, the two sides have caused a great misunderstanding because of these two articles, as long as these two problems are solved, in fact, many problems can be solved naturally.

"Awesome! This Mr. Xu is definitely a very good diplomat, and such a method can be thought of. Seeing that he is only in his twenties, I am afraid that he is only twenty-five years old, and he has such an old-fashioned method of handling international relations, which is really amazing! He must have been a very good diplomat in the future! John Russell thought to himself.

John Russell quickly stood up and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I think we can actually resolve the comments of Mr. Xu Qing of China. As Mr. Xu Qing said, what we in the British Empire wanted was trade, but we didn't understand each other before, which caused a big misunderstanding. As for Hong Kong, and the indemnity of more than 20 million taels of silver, it is actually not a big thing for our British Empire. If we can really make Britain and China friendly, and let China take the initiative to open its market and engage in free trade, this will be a better outcome for us. Mr. Xu has already put forward a plan for us, and this plan is beneficial to both of us, and we really have no need to oppose it. ”