>"Western traders, including those from the United States, had long sought a variety of Chinese products (including furniture, silk and tea), but found there we

>"Western traders, including those from the United States, had long sought a variety of Chinese products (including furniture, silk and tea), but found there were few products that China wanted from the West. American trade with China began as early as 1784, relying on North American exports such as furs, sandalwood, and ginseng, but American interest in Chinese products soon outstripped the Chinese appetite for these American exports. The British had already discovered a great market in southern China for smuggled opium, and American traders soon also turned to opium to supplement their exports to China. Beyond the health problems related to opium addiction, the increasing opium trade with the Western powers meant that for the first time, China imported more goods than it exported." https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/dwe/82011.htm https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/dwe/82011.htm The US promoted the "Open Door" policy towards Chine, i.e. whatever traders of other nations could do, the US traders could also do.