Open Door policy
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The Open Door policy was a U.S. diplomatic principle articulated by Secretary of State John Hay in 1899–1900. It called for equal commercial access to China for all powers and respect for China's administrative and territorial integrity, principles the United States invoked again when responding to Japan's seizure of Manchuria.
In depth
Hay's First Open Door Note proposed that within each power's sphere of influence, no country should receive discriminatory advantages in tariffs, port dues, or railway charges, and that Chinese tariffs be collected by Chinese authorities. The Second Note of 1900 stressed that the powers should preserve China's territorial and administrative integrity rather than use the Boxer crisis to partition the country. The notes were not binding, and the powers interpreted them selectively; the Nine-Power Treaty reaffirmed the principle in 1922, while Japan's seizure of Manchuria in 1931 tested its practical force. The policy combined the U.S. interest in access to the Chinese market with a stated principle of preserving China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) (supports the policy's definition, John Hay's 1899 note, equal trade, Chinese territorial integrity, and its relevance to Manchuria)
- history.state.gov (U.S. State Department historical overview supporting the 1899–1900 notes, equal commercial opportunity, administrative and territorial integrity, and the notes' non-binding character)