The "21st Article" is a secret clause of Japanese imperialism in a vain attempt to annihilate China. It was proposed by the Japanese Minister to China, Nichiki Yi, to Yuan Shikai in person.
Article 21 has seriously undermined China's national sovereignty, completely violated the basic norms governing international relations, and aroused anti-Japanese and nationalist sentiments at home.
The patriotic and anti-Japanese movement during the 21st "negotiation period" also became a rehearsal for the May Fourth Movement. During the "21 Articles" negotiations, Japan forcibly imported a large number of commodities into China, destroying China's original industrial and commercial layout and touching imperialist interests in China. At the same time, the existence of huge war reparations made it possible for Japan to further intensify its economic aggression against China and make China's social and economic life more semi-colonized.
The "21 Articles" negotiations also deepened the conflict of interests between Japan and the European and American powers in China, and laid the groundwork for the future contention between the great powers in China.
During the "21 Articles" negotiation period, Yuan Shikai fantasized about getting Japan's support for his restoration of the imperial system, and tried his best to curry favor with Japan. After the signing of the "Final Clauses" on June 28, 1914, Duan Qirui and the "Six Gentlemen" led by Duan Qirui became the backbone of the resistance to the "Twenty-one Articles". Eventually, Japan was forced to make concessions and delete some of the provisions.
On May 25, 1915, China and Japan signed the Treaty of Shandong Province and the Treaty of South Manchuria and Eastern Inner Mongolia in Beijing. According to the provisions of these two treaties, the "21 Articles" were finally repealed after China paid a heavy price for its rights and interests.