Tasks of russian naval intelligence in China in the early XX century

The article examines the activities of Russian naval intelligence in China in the early twentieth century. After the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Chinese government began in the early twentieth century to implement a program of reviving the navy. The Japanese provide effective support to the Chinese Naval Department in the construction of warships. However, attempts to create a combat-ready Chinese fleet were prevented by the nationwide crisis that unfolded in the country. I must say that China has not been able to claim the role of not only a world, but also a regional naval power. Despite the well-founded fears of the Russian Maritime Ministry, there were no military clashes with China in the early twentieth century on the seas and rivers. At the same time, Russian naval intelligence constantly collected information about the creation of the Chinese fleet and the internal situation in the neighboring state It should be noted that the Russian Naval Ministry in the early twentieth century followed the attempts to create a Chinese fleet, but did not perceive China as the main threat at sea to the foreign policy interests of the Russian Empire.