By the late 19th century, Japan and the Europe had carved much of China into separate spheres of influence, inside of which each held economic dominance.  The U.S. held no sphere of influence in China, but in 1899 the U.S. Secretary of State John Hay proposed an "Open Door" policy in China saying that all nations would be able to have equal trading and development rights throughout all of China.  This policy would put all of the imperialist powers on equal footing in China and would give a boundary to the advantages of having somebody possess their own area of influence.