The Study Of American Policy Toward China - The Origin Of "open Door"

The treaty system built by western powers aggravates the dilemma of America's China policy,but on the other hand,it also provide an opportunity for such an policy.From 1840-1860,Americans devoted themselves to one policy to insure China's door open to America.America avoided utilizing “gun boat policy” upon China and show concern over China's administrative integrity.A series of treaties signed between China and America show what American's desire is an equal opportunity for commerce.The united states sent eight ministers to peking during the years 1861-1898.Washington essentially left these diplomatic representatives on their own to make American China policy.Anson Burlingame,the first of these envoys,advocated a policy of patient and peaceful dealings with the Chinese.J.Ross Brown,who followed Burlingame,favored forceful and united foreign pressure for change in China.The methods of these two ministers--conciliation and coercion--represented the extremes in the American options in China.The policies of their successors generally fell somewhere between the two.After the first Sino-Japanese War,the Far-Eastern balance between the powers were broken.The American China cooperative policy built on such an balance faced crisis and challenge.The powers took the advantage of the occasion to set off an upsurge of dividing China.Facing the complicated Far-Eastern situation,the new secretary,John Hai,moved policy-making from legation in peking to the department in Washington and put forward two “open door notes” in succession to secure the long term American interest.With the innovation of Far-Eastern situation,the “open door notes” developed into a “open door policy”,which became the cornerstone of Sino-Us relations in modern times and had an varying degree impact on China and America.