| Chapter 2: | The Open Door and Yesterday’s China |
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Chamberlain, however, had no confidence in “the reform of the Chinese Empire as a whole or in the permanent maintenance of its territorial integrity.” Therefore, he thought it best for Britain to concentrate its efforts on the Yangtze Valley and obtain written assurances, which would “make it easy to maintain the open door in at least this, the most important, portion of the Chinese Empire.”9
From this one document, one may at least say that a very powerful Englishman, although still putting the term “Open Door” in quotation marks, as though it were a newish concept, took it rather seriously. Yet—and this may be very important—he questioned the possibility of maintaining its application throughout the Chinese empire, particularly in the north. Griswold, of course, has given us a very full account of British influence on the drafting of the original open door note, with particular reference to Alfred Hippisley’s role, which indeed represents the best part of Griswold’s entire study. But, since Hippisley was merely an official of the China Customs Services and on leave when he visited Washington in 1899, it remains unclear as to what extent the higher echelons of the British government backed his views.
Aside from Chamberlain’s minute other important clues abound indicating the British government took the open door idea, including the “integrity of the Chinese Empire,” as well as “equal commercial opportunity” quite seriously.