American China Development Company

[2] The company played an important role in American involvement in China and in the Open Door Policy[3] during the “battle of concessions”[4] at the turn of the century.

[2] Bash also represented a group of American businessmen who aimed to build a railway line that would cross China from north to south.

[2] However, a formal agreement was not reached and Charles Denby, charge d’affaires for the American China Development Company, urged the imperial authorities to instruct Sheng to quickly agree to a contract.

America, unlike the Russian, French, German, Japanese, or British Empires, did not have a political stake in the Chinese economy and had significant experience building railroads, which made the American China Development Company an attractive option.

As a result, the American China Development Company agreed to share half of their concession for the line with the British and Chinese Corporation in February 1899.

[2] A New York engineer, William Barclay Parsons, was sent by the American China Development Company to survey the proposed route during the winter of 1898–1899.

[2] Many Chinese officials were concerned about the effect of giving concessions to foreign companies, especially those with a political interest in China, like Belgium or France.

Despite American political pressure on the Chinese foreign office, the throne allowed Viceroy Zhang Zhidong to officially revoke the concession in December, 1904.