Open Door Policy

• "John Milton Hay served as a statesman and diplomat for the United States. He also assisted Abraham Lincoln during his presidency. Hay's biggest achievement came when he served as Secretary of State under former Presidents of the United States William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. As Secretary of State, Hay drafted the Open Door Policy in a series of notes between 1899 to 1900. The Open Door Policy aimed to promote equal opportunity for foreign trade and commerce in China. The United States and Great Britain had long respected China before Hay proposed the Open Door Policy; however, his policy made it official and far-reaching to the Far East."
• 

  "John Hay gained his inspiration to draft the Open Door Notes from British and American experts, William W. Rockhill and Afred E. Hippisley. Both of these men believed that Great Britain and the United States should protect their economic interests in China. They suggested drafting a formal agreement outlining the concept of maintaining an Open Door Policy for trade and commerce. John Hay sent the first of the Open Door Notes on September 6th, 1899 to other international countries interested in trade and commerce with China, including Great Britain, Germany, France, Russia, and Japan. These nations remained protective over their economic presence in China and other Asian countries."
• 
  

  "The Open Door Notes proposed a free, open market between merchants of all nationalities with a presence in China. Hay argued that the Open Door Policy would help strengthen the United States economy and reduce tensions between the powers already operating in China. In an effort to promote non-discrimination in trade and commerce, Hay suggested a dissolving of economic advantages between China and its foreign occupants. In fact, Hay even stated that the Chinese should collect on their own tariffs. Remarkably, the powers did not oppose the terms drafted in the Open Door Notes. 

http://www.openuniversity.edu/open-door-policy