海盜，一直是遠航船隻的夢魘，也是各國海軍欲除之而後快的對象。西方海盜曾盛極一時，19世紀中後期，這種海上掠奪行為，漸漸被各國所唾棄，變成各國欲打擊的國際罪犯。中國在歷經清末民初的變局之後，社會秩序混亂，以致於沿海盜匪層出不窮。鑑於往返中國貿易的船隻，失事不斷，英國政府向中國官方表述沿海匪徒猖狂的事實，已達燒殺擄掠的程度。英日兩國藉國際條約的法律效力，對中國海盜進行數次根除動作。尤其是英軍未經中國政府許可而上岸緝捕海盜，並對沿海可疑村落進行攻擊，造成無辜人民死傷，此舉讓中方明顯感受到侵犯主權的徵兆。自「五卅慘案」等一連串的反帝國主義運動，中國人民對英日兩國反感之聲，早已延燒多時。英方為避免因打擊海盜成為侵犯中國主權的口實，利用五國公使會議的召開，企圖將中國沿海海盜問題放大成國際問題。而日本政府因船隻在南中國海長期受到海盜騷擾之故，與英國相互在海盜問題上，有不約而同的默契存在。

Pirates are not only the nightmare of sailors, but also the enemies of navies. It has been one of the most serious threats since the beginning of maritime trade. Pirates of the West has prospered in the late 19th century, this predatory behavior at sea, was gradually become invariably on international criminals.China after the end of the Qing turn leather change in the situation, the social order even more than in the past to come confusion, so that in the coastal bandits endless. British Government expressed the situations of Predatory activities in Chinese coastal was very frequent. In fact, Britain and Japan solved the pirates by international treaty law. For examples, British troops ashore for arresting pirates without Chinese government's permission. This move caused the deaths and injuries of innocent Chinese people. And it also resulted a sign of violating sovereignty.Since the ”May 30th Massacre” and other series of anti-imperialist movement, the Chinese people disgusted Britain and Japan seriously. The British used the meeting of Minister of the five countries to fight against the piracy issue. The Japanese government also agreed with the British, to solving pirate harassment. It displayed the cooperative relations between British and Japan for the problem of pirates.