中國利用參加歐戰機會，廢止德、奧舊約，並得以參與巴黎和會。但因和會議定之對德和約，規定原德國膠澳租借地及山東路礦權，歸日本享有，中國遂拒簽凡爾賽和約。北京政府以大總統佈告方式，終止中德間戰爭狀況，並於1920年3月接受德國政府派代表來華議約。北京政府掌握德國政府亟欲重返中國市場之籌碼，確定談判宗旨，去除所有舊條約的不公正條款，訂定完全平等之新約。談判進行順利，中國成功的與一個舊條約列強，締結完全平等的新條約，德國則取得實質上與條約列強同等之關稅，及司法上享公平對待之承諾，成功重回中國市場。中德對此結果皆表滿意，雙方關係發展迅速。中德協約的簽訂，使中國雖未簽署凡爾賽和約，卻完全享受到和約中的利益，避免了約中不利的山東條款。 由北京政府修約歷程看，自民國建立之後，外交部力謀擺脫舊條約之束缚，歐戰之後，更確立平等條約的政策，全面展開「修約外交」。中德條約在民初努力訂定平等條約的基礎上，前進一大步，明文去除領事裁判權、協定關稅、最惠國待遇等不平等條款，是一個重要的里程碑；除提昇中國國際地位，鬆動條約列強在華之特權地位外，並成功建立第一個平等條約之先例，可作為日後與各國議定新約之範本。

The Peking Government announced war, are renounced all treaties, with German in August 1917. In the Paris Peace Conference, 1919, the Big Five decided to transfer ex-German settlement and privileges in Shandong to Japan, then, disappointed China refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles. China and German stared to negotiate a bilateral peace treaty in 1920 and reached an Agreement in May 31, 1921. The Sino-German Agreement is a milestone in the development of the Treaty Revision diplomacy of Peking Government. Peking diplomats successfully secured a total equal new treaty with an ex-treaty Power, nor only raised China's international position but also shattered the so-called unequal treaty system.