ABSTRACT
When the Russian troops were pulled out of China proper, they were soon actively engaged against the Boxers in Manchuria. While the defection of the Russian force from the allied expedition was an international disappointment, especially to the German force which had just reached China, it made good sense from Russia's national viewpoint. The number of Russian residents in China proper was small, probably less than 500, while her trade and interests were correspondingly much smaller than those of many other countries. In Manchuria her investment in the Chinese Eastern railway and its ancillary enterprises was vast; her people were the most numerous foreign community; and it was vital to protect her trade prospects.
