Age of Imperialism: Chapter 5: China

Hey guys! So, we all know that in today's times, China plays a big role to our economy. I mean, when's the last time you picked something up that didn't say "Made in China"? Yeah, thats what I thought. But it wasn't always like that, so what changed?
First of all, China had closed doors for basically forever.. Trade with outsiders was strictly forbidden or limited. For a while, China was the weak link of Asia and was defeated by Japan in 1894. Many countries such as Britain, Germany, Russia, and France rushed to establish trading rights with China. At this time, the U.S. had three beliefs about foreign trade: the growth of our economy depended on exports, we had a right to keep foreign markets open, and that if one area was closed to U.S. products, people, or ideas, the country was threatened. So, in 1899, the U.S. Secretary of State, John Hay, establishes the Open Door Policy. Which declared that other nations must share trading rights with the U.S. and trade would go through an 'open door'. Countries all over the world knew they had to agree but the Chinese were stubborn. But finally, the states 'safeguarded for the world' and trade was open with China.
Now, what military actions have we had to take with China over the years? After the U.S. got the Philippines, we became an Asian power. We settled there and built bases too, with strong bases over 400 miles away, we wanted to take advantage of China's many resources.
The reason we wanted these foreign influences was because our main goal was to be able to make all of our power into money.