“Wilhelm II styled himself Admiral of the Atlantic, though that ocean had never been claimed to be an inland waterway. The fleet of gunboats that cruised up and down the Yangtze was a standing temptation for the local representatives of the Great Powers to give point to their often unreasonable demands by a demonstration or the threat of a bombardment. Many instances could be given of this kind of 'gunboat diplomacy' in the interests of missionaries, private debtors and even ordinary Christian converts.”

— K. M. Panikkar

Asia and Western Dominance: a survey of the Vasco Da Gama epoch of Asian history, 1498–1945

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K. M. Panikkar 30

Indian diplomat, academic and historian 1895–1963

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