Italian Advisors in Nationalist China: The Mission and Work of Alberto de’ Stefani, High Commissioner of Chiang Kai-Shek

Abstract

In the 1930s, the fascist government sent high-profile military officers, politicians, and academics to Nationalist China to support the Chiang Kai-shek regime and consolidate relations. In 1937, Alberto de’ Stefani, well known as the minister who restored Italian public finance and achieved a budget surplus in 1924–1925, was personally chosen by Chiang Kai-shek to reform the fiscal and financial administration of the country. When de’ Stefani returned to Italy, he was appointed “lifetime advisor of the Chinese people” by Chiang, with the highest decoration that the government of China could bestow upon a foreign stateman. On several occasions, de’ Stefani was accused of being a Sinophile and traitor by the fascist government for his commitment to achieve peace between China and Japan. In this article, the author proposes a vivid testimony, using primary sources from historical and diplomatic archives, of de’ Stefani’s experience in China.