China

Essay:

China was a very powerful country for trade and other countries had established their claim on different parts of China which made this a great need for the United States because we were considered the greatest in the world. Henceforth, we moved forward into China, but before we could have any other communications with other countries within China, we need to make a policy.

The Open Door Policy is an interpretation of foreign affairs. The United States was considered a great Asian power because they owned the Philippine Islands which directly connected them to Europe. After the Opium War, demand became high in China and other European countries such as, the Unites Kingdom, Italy, France, Russia, Japan, and Germany all wanted their share. America felt threatened by their demands because they considered China to be part of their territory. After the U.S Secretary of State, John Hay noticed the trouble that could follow, he sent notes to the other European countries asking them to declare their share of China. In 1899, the Open Door Policy became a treaty between the seven countries stating the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Russia, Japan, Germany, and the United States could trade with China.

In 1902, Russia took over Manchuria, also known as Northern China, which the United States declared as a violation of the Open Door Policy. Soon after, the Russo-Japanese War took place which changed the ownership of Manchuria over to Japan. The United States and Japan pledged to maintain the policy and continued to have equal share of China. The United States' efforts to maintain the policy then led to international bank sharing through which all Chinese railroad loans would agree to another exchange of notes between the United States and Japan which would reestablish that the Open Door Policy would be respected and would assure Japan that the United States recognizes their interest in China. In 1917, the policy became questioned because Japan created secret allies with other countries and let Germany have possession in China. The continuous disregard for the Open Door Policy led to a conference in Washington, D.C. to settle China once and for all. As a result, the Nine-Power Treaty was created to declare the independence of China through the Open Door Policy principles. This was signed by the United States. Soon after, the Japanese seized Manchuria and created a place named Manchukuo in 1931 which finally ended the Open Door principles.

After World War II, all special possessions with China were demolished except for the treaties signed with Russia. China developed a Communist Party which rejected the Open Door Policy until 1978 when the ruler promoted international trade and economic investment. Ever since the 1970s, the term "Open Door Policy" has been known as the People's Republic of China. The policy has remained to increase trade, economic co-operation, and interdependence between countries. They have concluded that the policy is an example of the idea that trade is a natural right, which was then used in John Locke's treaties.

Images:

Source List:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Door_Policy#Open_Door_Policy_in_modern_China