Final answer:
During the 1890s, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan established protectorates or spheres of influence in China, exploiting the Qing Dynasty's decline. The U.S. proposed the 'Open Door Policy' to ensure equal trading rights for all nations and prevent further division of China.
Step-by-step explanation:
Countries with Protectorates in China during the 1890s
In the late 19th century, several European powers and Japan established protectorates and spheres of influence in China. These powers took advantage of the Qing Dynasty's weakness to carve out areas where they had commercial and political control. For instance, following China's defeat in the Opium Wars, Britain claimed central China and France established control over provinces such as Guizhou, Guangxi, and Yunnan. Germany took the North China Plain's coastal region, while Russia extended its influence into northern China and Manchuria. Japan, experiencing rapid industrialization, claimed Korea and Taiwan after winning the Sino-Japanese War in 1895.
These actions led to the partitioning of China into areas of influence where each power could dominate trade and exert control over tariffs and transportation. The United States, also seeking to protect its commercial interests, proposed the “Open Door Policy” to maintain equal trading rights for all nations within China and to prevent further division of the country. This policy aimed to ensure that all powers had access to China's markets without being subject to tariffs or trade restrictions imposed by other countries' spheres of influence.
Such territorial claims and economic influences resulted in a deeply fragmented China, vulnerable to foreign interests and unable to defend its sovereignty effectively against these powers.