conclusion that if China kept its treaty obligations and treated the foreigners with

good will and an open mind, peace would reign and the prince planned tomake use
of the subsequent period of peace as an opportunity to militarily strengthen China.
Thus, peace through diplomacy became the immediate objective of the government
while self-strengthening loomed as the ultimate goal They sought to apply
‘practical knowledge’ from the West whilst reaffirming the old Confucian system
of government.