On October 10, 1911, Premier Yan Fu and the British representative signed the 1912 final draft of the China Trade Framework Agreement in Beijing. This news shook the entire Far East, and even affected Europe and the United States. The reason why a trade framework agreement is a "framework" means that anything can be stuffed into it. The British side simply sent a special representative to Beijing. Interestingly, the deputy representative is based in Wuhan.

In this agreement, the Beiyang side is most pleased with the framework agreement, which directly transfers 10% of the tariff to the account of the Ministry of Finance, which can be accessed at any time. Historically, at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, tariffs were controlled by the British, and this real cash flow was a lifeline for the government, and it was also the biggest weapon for the British government to control China. can have 10% of the power to withdraw at will, Beiyang finally has living money to use.

The framework agreement defines the concept of China's "trade balance" in imports and exports, that is, the tripartite banks of the United Kingdom, Beiyang, and the People's Party support the concept of trade balance. China's import and export quotas must be balanced, and as much as it imports, it must export as much as it wants. Of course, the British side was extremely happy, and the other countries were extremely unhappy. The UK has the goods that China needs, and China has the goods that the UK needs. Since the British bank undertakes financial services, it is equivalent to Britain stucking the neck of other countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Beiyang Government immediately became lively, and ministers from various countries made appointments to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Beiyang. At this time, Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi had already left for Germany, and the ministers of various countries turned to ask to see Prime Minister Yan Fu.

However, on October 12, Prime Minister Yan Fu released a new release. Every year, import and export fairs will be held in Tianjin, Lianyungang, Wuhu and Wuhan in turn. All orders confirmed at these four import and export fairs will be given priority for customs clearance.

The ministers were very clear about the significance of this policy representative, which was a model of trade regulation. Yan Fu made it very clear in the announcement that the trade balance policy is ultimately the balance of import and export amounts. Yan Fu did not say anything, and the main point that the ministers of various countries have made clear is that only the orders confirmed in these four import and export fairs will be supported by the new trade system. Others are destined to be harassed in all sorts of ways.

Shanghai has long been the center of trade in China and the Far East, but because Shanghai is now neither under the direct control of the People's Party nor the Beiyang, the new trade agreement excludes Shanghai. If you want to get official support, you have to take the initiative to join the trade framework agreement.

Yan Fu finally knew what it meant to be in a good situation, not to mention the complicated civil affairs, and this trade issue alone had caused countless incidents. The Beiyang Cabinet, known as the Cabinet, is actually more like a venue for competing for its own interests. Not only are the Ministries of Commerce and Civil Affairs vying for interests in this area, but the Ministries of Civil Affairs, Justice, and even the War and Navy Ministries are trying to intervene. Navy Minister Sa Zhenbing directly requested that he go south to Guangzhou and build a new import and export fair in Guangzhou.

In the case of inter-provincial autonomy, whether Guangdong is willing to participate in this matter is a matter for Guangdong itself. Where is it the turn of the Admiralty to rely on force to unite local people in Guangdong to participate in such acts?

Sa Zhenbing and Yan Fu are old comrades-in-arms, and he can't make a plan again. Fujian Province soon entrusted Sa Zhenbing with an application to the cabinet to open a new import and export fair in Fuzhou. Yan Fu didn't know if Sa Zhenbing was playing the trick of retreating into advance. On 3 November, the third day after Sa Zhenbing put forward his new proposal, representatives of the Fujian National Assembly went to Beijing in person in the name of "Yan Fu's hometown" and went to the cabinet to ask for a meeting with "Premier Yan Fu," hoping to persuade Yan Fu to bring benefits to the elders in Fujian's hometown.

This is the power of power, and Yan Fu's words can decide the fate of many people. However, for three consecutive days, the deputies of the Fujian Congress failed to see Yan Fu. Yan Fu was entangled by the Russian and German ministers.

It's not that the Japanese ministers don't want to participate in this matter, it's just that they know that they have deeply offended Beiyang and the People's Party. The Japanese side is a little puzzled as to why a compromise was finally reached between Beiyang and the People's Party. As a member of China's civilization circle, the current situation of the weak and the strong will inevitably trigger a struggle for the supreme leadership. Theoretically, even if Yuan Shikai is unwilling to go to war, the People's Party will definitely be willing.

The result in reality is that Yuan Keding disappeared, and his customers also disappeared cleanly. The Beiyang side vigorously searched for Chinese who cooperated with Japan. These people also disappeared after being arrested. The operation was so ruthless, but there was no news on intelligence. The Japanese minister asked to see Yan Fu, and Yan Fu saw him with a cold face. During the dialogue between the two sides, Yan Fu said indifferently and rigorously, "everything will be done in accordance with the framework agreement." So he sent the Japanese envoy back.

The Japanese minister turned to ask to see Yuan Shikai, but Yuan Shikai did not see him at all. The words of the attendant were "the responsibility of the Cabinet in this matter". Now the Japanese side is finally anxious, Yuan Shikai is not short of money now, and the industrial products of the People's Party, such as soda ash, industrial acid, small hardware, and various dyes, have even begun to enter the Japanese market on a large scale. The only things that Japan can sell to China are coal, paper, and other goods. After the implementation of the "trade balance", the British did not support Japan's idea at all economically, which made Japan embarrassed.

It was precisely because he knew what he had done and lost the support of Britain that no matter how thick-skinned the Japanese minister was, he could not fully exert his influence.

The U.S. minister did not get involved in this matter, and their biggest trade partner was not Beiyang, but the People's Party. Cooperation with the People's Party on ammonia synthesis has brought huge benefits to the American consortium. The BJP began to import large quantities of machinery and equipment from the United States. Oil from the West Coast also began to be sold in large quantities to base areas. Similarly, the BJP's raw silk and other products are also sold in large quantities to the United States. The BJP now has a strong grasp of the quota for import and export trade.

The U.S. minister simply ran to meet Chen Ke. The matter was quite satisfactory to the US minister, and the People's Party, in addition to guaranteeing that the current imports and exports would not be affected, raised the issue of importing Philippine coconuts.

The Philippines, commonly known as the land of a thousand islands, is home to numerous uninhabited islands of all sizes, which are densely covered with coconut palms. U.S. industrial goods were shipped across the Pacific to China, and many of them were not marketable in China, except for machinery and equipment and commodities that were also profitable. On the contrary, it is cheaper for Chinese goods to be shipped directly to the Philippines.

"We wanted to try the coconut trade. As long as this thing is transported in time, it can be shipped to China in two or three days. Negotiator Wang Bin was considered by the US side to be a "Qin American faction," and he made a serious proposal.

"Can it be shipped to China in two or three days?" The U.S. minister was not too familiar with the situation in the Philippines.

"This thing needs to be as much as you want in the Philippines, and you don't need to ship it to Wuhan, you just need to ship it directly to Guangdong."

"What do you want a coconut for?" The U.S. minister to China did not want credit to be taken away from the Philippine governor of the United States.

"Eat." Wang Bin gave a concise reply.

Faced with such a blunt attitude, the U.S. minister to China gave in on the matter, "Okay, I'll contact the matter." Mr. Wang, are you satisfied with using the services of the Bank of England? ”

I have a lot of dealings with the People's Party, and the US side likes the People's Party's frank communication style very much, and Wang Bin talks about money and keeps his mouth shut about prices, which is completely in line with the appetite of the American minister. There is a characteristic of American diplomats, they are all sent by major families, diplomats, one is to gild, the other is to make money. The People's Party has been talking about buying and selling, and the official positions of the ministers in China, especially the US consulates in Wuhan and Wuhu, which are in charge of liaison with the People's Party's base areas, have been sold at quite high prices. The third-class counsellor, who was able to negotiate a deal with the BJP, was also sold for $20,000 each. As for the first class counsellor of the consulate, the asking price starts at $50,000 and is not discounted.

"What do you mean?" Wang Bin asked.

"I've read the full text of the China Trade Framework Agreement, and it doesn't stipulate that you have to use the services of a British bank. Our Bank of America is also very creditworthy. Domestically, we do not believe that trade between the United States and your party is not subject to this general quota. ”

Wang Bin said in his heart, "Sure enough, it came." He had no expression on his face, just continued to listen quietly.

The United States once advocated that the Chinese market should be "open to the door," but when it was its turn to make a lot of money in the Chinese market, the United States immediately threw the principle of "open door" out of the clouds. The BJP market that has been occupied is firmly grasped and refuses to let other countries get involved.

After expounding his position very frankly, the US representative waited for Wang Bin's answer.

"I think this can be discussed in the long run, after all, commodities still need competition, and only with competition can there be progress." Wang Bin slowly expressed his opinion. The BJP does not want to be choked, and in the implementation of the quota trade agreement, many things will definitely turn into a struggle for governance. The People's Party is relatively good, and if foreigners take advantage of their monopoly advantage to choke their necks on price, they will lose a lot. In particular, at a time when the base areas themselves are very backward in heavy industry, what the BJP needs is precisely the competition between foreign goods.

Naturally, the US minister refused to give up, and the financier behind him was the Bank of Boston. In this trade, the Bank of Boston not only hoped to be able to undertake the financial business of the People's Party base areas in the United States, but also hoped to liberate the trade between the United States and the base areas from the control of the British.

For Mr. Minister's hard lobbying, Wang Bin was a little overwhelmed. He changed the subject, "Mr. Minister, have you considered the coconut trade?" ”

The minister was not familiar with the Philippines at all, and when Wang Bin brought up this topic again, he had to politely reply: "This question is not important, is it?" ”

Wang Bin said slowly: "Suppose a coconut sells for one cent." If we buy 100 million coconuts, that's a million dollars. If we buy a billion coconuts, that's 10 million dollars......"

How much was 10 million dollars in 1911? That's about $5 billion in 2011. Historically, DuPont made a fortune in World War I, and was scolded by the Americans as a warmonger with a broken conscience. He made $100 million throughout World War I.

The American minister, of course, did not know about the war money that DuPont had made a few years later, and he was silent, his brain racing. Unlike the BJP's trade and private trade, this type of contract is large in scale and long-term. If it can really reach the annual trade volume of one billion coconuts, it is a stable annual turnover of 10 million US dollars. Even if all the points are removed, the net return of five million dollars is still promising. If Mr. Minister himself can be a contact person, he will take 10% of the benefit fee, which will be 500,000 US dollars a year. That's 1.5 million in three years.

"Mr. Wang, do you think this trade can really reach this amount? A billion a year? "The Bank of Boston thing is a big deal, a long time, and a big benefit. Of course, it will be extremely difficult to negotiate. On the contrary, the minister's immediate interests were a bit short-lived, and the minister pushed back the matter of the Bank of Boston and began negotiations for more realistic immediate interests.