Nine-Power Treaty on China 1922

a treaty that formally proclaimed the principle of respect for the sovereignty and territorial and administrative integrity of China. The treaty was signed on Febraury 6 by representatives of Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, China, the Netherlands, Portugal, the USA, France, and Japan, who were participating in the work of the Washington Conference of 1921-22. The treaty obligated the signatory states to adhere to the principle of “equal opportunity” in commercial and entrepreneurial activities in China and not to resort to the exploitation of the internal situation in China in order to gain special rights and privileges that could be detrimental to the rights and interests of other signatory states. The signing of the treaty signified the creation of a united front of international reactionary forces against the revolution that was ripening in China, and it also attested to the fact that the Western imperialist powers, above all the USA, were determined to liquidate Japan’s monopolistic position in China, which it had secured during World War I.