Thread: Alternate History: US-China trade& political relations if no 'Century of Humiliation'

How might American relations, disputes, and trade with China have developed had there never been a 'century of humiliation'?

What got me thinking about this was a wikipedia entry I happened to see on early US trade with the Qing Dynasty. I was fascinated that the first government to government contact was after the first opium war and that the action seemed to be in response to Britain's newly obtained influence in China.

I know very little about Chinese history, but I'd personally be interested to read what others more knowledgeable (and interested) on these particulars might have to say on the topic and how it might have shaped American actions in the Pacific and in Asia or vice versa.

A link to the wikipedia entry. Old China Trade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia