1698年，法国商船“安菲特利特号”首航中国，这是法国商业公司首次来华贸易。法国耶稣会士白晋在其中起到了关键性的作用，他不仅促成了这次远航，而且几乎包办了法方与中方最初的交涉事务，还把商船改成御船。白晋的这一系列行为蕴含了明显的传教动机，意在为法国耶稣会这个独立的对华传教组织创造有利条件。结果是，他一方面给儒尔丹中国公司谋取了大量优惠，另一方面又给它在华贸易制造了很多麻烦。对传教士而言，宗教利益永远高于商业利益。%The maiden voyage of Amphitrite, a French merchant ship, to China in 1698 marked the first Sino - French trade. Joachim Bouvet, a French Jesuit, played a key role, for he not only helped to bring about this voyage, but also took over almost all the initial negotiation with the Chinese government and changed the merchant ship into a royal ship. What he had done implied his strong motivation of creating a favorable missionary environment in China for the French Society of Jesus which was an independent missionary organization. As a result, Joachim Bouvet brought a great deal of benefits to the Jourdain Company in China, but he also caused much trouble to its trade in China. To the missionaries, religious interests are always far more important than commercial interests.
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