ABSTRACT
The attraction of China was also derived from its epic size, enormous population, and ancient civilization. America’s policies made claims to inclusion based on the theory of white supremacy which deemed ethnic Asian immigrants as unassimilable aliens unfit for citizenship. Chinese and Japanese immigrants became the largest ethnic Asian populations, and America’s policies towards Asian immigrants reflected discriminatory laws and limitations, from strict restrictions to enter the country to the denial of naturalized citizenship. The relationship between the United States and China can be traced back to when the United States first gained independence. The Treaty of Nanjing opened five Chinese treaty ports for foreign trade, and the Qing government was obliged to grant an indemnity and extraterritoriality to Britain, and the cession of Hong Kong. China’s humiliating defeat in the Opium War by the British and the Treaty of Nanjing that was forced upon China caught the attention of the Japanese.
