The roots of this system can be linked to 1894 during the first Sino-Japanese war, where
in a few short months, the Japanese defeated China’s northern fleet and captured ports in
Manchuria and parts of Shandong. .
Although most of the fighting was concentrated in northern
China, Japan waged war against the mainland in order to fulfill its territorial ambitions in
southern China. In March 1895 peace negotiations between Japan and China opened in the
Japanese city of Shimonoseki, and the ensuing Treaty of Shimonoseki, concluded on 17 April
1895, which provided for China to cede Taiwan to Japan