中蘇談判中的"顧王之爭"為世人矚目。王正廷作為中方全權代表,與加拉罕商定兩國關系協議,突破此前的談判僵局,奠定了廢除中俄舊約的基礎。北京內閣認為"王加協議"內容不可接受,拒絕批準并撤銷王的談判代表職務,改以外交部與蘇俄交涉,中蘇談判因此出現重大曲折并激化顧王矛盾。"顧王之爭"是歷史事實,但既有研究放大了其中的個人恩怨。就性質言,二人所爭帶有南北之爭及"國民外交"與"職業外交"之爭的色彩。王與南方政府有很深的歷史淵源,其談判用心偏重"無條件承認"蘇俄及友俄、聯俄的政治方向,適應了日益高漲的"反帝廢約"運動需要;顧維鈞傾向協約國和北京政府立場,對蘇俄侵害中國主權嚴加防范。在談判技術上,顧、王亦表現出明顯的差異。二人在談判中的作為看似異趣,卻相互制約避免南北各走極端,客觀上共同促成中蘇談判朝著有利于中國的方向發展。

The"clash between Gu Weijun [Wellington Koo] and Wang Zhengting"in Sino-Soviet negotiations caused a furor at the time.Acting as the Chinese side’s plenipotentiary,Wang reached an agreement with Leo Karakhan on a bilateral relationship,breaking the previous deadlock in negotiations and laying the foundation for the abolition of the old Sino-Russian treaties.The Beijing Cabinet regarded the content of the Wang-Karakhan agreement as unacceptable;it rejected it and relieved Wang of his duties,handing the negotiations with Soviet Russia over to the Foreign Ministry.This huge reversal in Sino-Soviet negotiations intensified the conflict between Gu and Wang.Their clash is a historical fact,but previous studies have magnified their personal grudges.In terms of its nature,the clash was colored by the dispute between North and South and the conflict between "citizen diplomacy" and "professional diplomacy." Wang had deep historical roots in the southern government;his intention in negotiating was weighted toward the political direction of "unconditional acceptance" of Soviet Russia as a friend and ally in tune with the growing demands of the movement to "fight imperialism and abolish the unequal treaties."Gu’s intention,on the other hand,was to lean toward the position of the Allies and the Beijing government and take strict preventive measures against any encroachment by Soviet Russia on China’s sovereignty.The two men showed significant differences in negotiating techniques,but although their negotiating styles appeared different,each imposed constraints on the other that prevented either North or South from going to extremes.Objectively,they promoted the development of Sino-Soviet negotiations in a direction that was favorable to China.