ABSTRACT
By the spring of 1884, both the British and Japanese officials started to recognise that the Qing Empire was becoming increasingly influential in East Asia. This impression was further enhanced during the East Asian crises from December 1884 to February 1887. The period from April 1884 to February 1887 is therefore divided into two, as it is difficult to contain it in a single chapter. However, it must also be said that when the British decision-makers and diplomats discussed the prospect of an alliance with the East Asian countries, they placed much stronger emphasis on acting in common with the Qing Empire than Japan. In the end, both the Japanese and the British decision-makers could not settle the regional crises alone, and could emerge out of isolation only by making compromises with Qing China, the one country that was successfully reasserting its influence over East Asia.
