中日開戰初期英國對日本航行遮斷行動的反應（1937）

Britain’s Responses to the Japanese Navy’s Blockade Plan in the Chinese Waters in 1937

自19世紀後半期以來，透過條約特權體系與砲艦外交的雙重護持，以英國為首的西方列強，在中國周邊水域建立起自由航行貿易的體制。英國作為世界航運霸主，為確保其在遠東地區的航運利益，對於維護海上秩序，向來亦不遺餘力。然而，自盧溝橋事件發生、中日軍事衝突擴大化後，日本海軍當局即片面宣布在中國周邊水域實施「航行遮斷」行動，除了封鎖沿岸港口，禁止中國船隻航行外，同時也在海上攔停所有可疑外國船隻，執行搜查程序，以防止中國船隻偽裝外國船隻。英國在華航運利益居各國之冠，可以預期的，日本海軍的封鎖禁令，恐將損害到英船的自由航行權利，影響英國過去近一百年來辛苦建立的海上秩序。
然而，英國為了避免直接與日本對抗，歷經權衡得失，在中國周邊水域的封鎖問題上，最終採取較為讓步與妥協的立場。此乃因如若不配合攔停與臨檢要求，日本方面可能採取更為極端的作為，宣布與中國戰事已進入「戰爭狀態」，從而援引戰爭法等相關國際法與慣例，擴大在中國周邊水域的軍事封鎖令，將英國等第三國船隻盡數納入封鎖禁運範疇，屆時英國在華航運與商貿利益，恐將受到毀滅性的打擊。因此，為了阻止日本逕自宣布進入「戰爭狀態」，英國只能略示讓步之意，同意日本軍艦可以攔停英國商船，檢視船隻國籍真偽，以防中國船隻偽裝英國船運送戰略物資。對於英國來說，兩權相害取其輕，配合日本海軍的攔檢措施，固然有損英船自由航行權利，但卻能免過份刺激日本，防止中日戰事升級到戰爭層面，導致英國等第三國航運活動陷入停頓，這也是不得不為的妥協之道。

Since the late nineteenth century, the Western powers led by the Britain established a system of free navigation in the Chinese waters through treaty and gunboat diplomacy. As the maritime hegemon, Britain managed to secure its Far Eastern shipping interests in China by maintaining maritime order. However, after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese hostilities in 1937, the Japanese navy unilaterally initiated“shipping cut-off”operation in Chinese waters, blockading coastal ports, prohibiting Chinese ships from sailing, and stopping and searching foreign ships to prevent Chinese ships from disguising themselves as foreign vessels. Given that Britain had the largest shipping interests in China, the Japanese blockade threatened to undertime the maritime order that it had worked to uphold for nearly a century.
Nevertheless, in order to avoid direct confrontation with Japan, Britain ultimately adopted a policy of concession and compromise. The main concern was that if Britain refused to cooperate, Japan might declare a state of war, thereby invoking wartime international law to expand the blockade to all third-country shipping—including British vessels. Such a development would have delivered a devastating blow to British commercial and shipping interests in China. Thus, to prevent Japan from unilaterally escalating the conflict, Britain agreed to allow Japanese warships to stop and visit British merchant vessels in Chinese waters to verify their nationality. Choosing the lesser of two evils, Britain sacrificed part of its freedom of navigation rights in order to avoid further escalation of the conflict and a complete suspension of British maritime trade in the region.