Department of State,
Washington, February 3,
1902.
[Inclosure.]
Memorandum respecting Manchuria—February 1,
1902.
Department of State,
Washington, February 1,
1902.
An agreement by which China cedes to any corporation or company the
exclusive right and privilege of opening mines, establishing
railroads, or in any other way industrially developing Manchuria,
can but be viewed with the gravest concern by the Government of the
United States. It constitutes a monopoly, which is a distinct breach
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of the stipulations of
treaties concluded between China and foreign powers, and thereby
seriously affects the rights of American citizens; it restricts
their rightful trade and exposes it to being discriminated against,
interfered with, or otherwise jeopardized, and strongly tends toward
permanently impairing the sovereign rights of China in this part of
the Empire, and seriously interferes with her ability to meet her
international obligations. Furthermore, such concession on the part
of China will undoubtedly be followed by demands from other powers
for similar and equal exclusive advantages in other parts of the
Chinese Empire, and the inevitable result must be the complete wreck
of the policy of absolute equality of treatment of all nations in
regard to trade, navigation, and commerce within the confines of the
Empire.
On the other hand, the attainment by one power of such exclusive
privileges for a commercial organization of its nationality
conflicts with the assurances repeatedly conveyed to this Government
by the Imperial Russian ministry of foreign affairs of the Imperial
Government’s intention to follow the policy of the open door in
China, as advocated by the Government of the United States and
accepted by all the treaty powers having commercial interests in
that Empire.
It is for these reasons that the Government of the United States,
animated now, as in the past, with the sincerest desire of insuring
to the whole world the benefits of full and fair intercourse between
China and the nations on a footing of equal rights and advantages to
all, submits the above to the earnest consideration of the Imperial
Governments of China and Russia, confident that they will give due
weight to its importance and adopt such measures as will relieve the
just and natural anxiety of the United States.
