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Trade between the United States and Indochinese Union in the First Half of the 20th Century
 
PIIS086919080030063-6-1
DOI10.31857/S086919080030063-6
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Duong Thanh MUNG 
Occupation: Lecturer
Affiliation: Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics
Address: Danang, Danang, Vietnam
Luu TRANG
Occupation: Lecturer
Affiliation: University of Science and Education, Danang
Address: Danang, Vietnam
Nguyen Viet DUNG
Affiliation: Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics
Address: Viet Nam
Van Sang Nguyen
Occupation: Lecturer, Deputy Head of Department, University of Science and Education, The University of Danang
Affiliation: The University of Danang – University of Science and Education
Address: No. 459 Ton Duc Thang, Hoa Khanh Nam ward, Lien Chieu district, Vietnam
Journal nameVostok. Afro-Aziatskie obshchestva: istoriia i sovremennost
EditionIssue 2
Pages78-86
Abstract

This article aims to analyze the commercial activities between the Indochinese Union (Indochina) and the United States in the first half of the XX century. The study focuses on three fundamental issues: The US efforts to seek markets in the Indochina region; commercial exchanges between the French-controlled Indochina and the US in the first half of the XX century; and the commercial benefits that the parties obtained. The results show that the commercial exchange between the Indochina and the US was under the strict management and control of the French colonial government. The policies that France conducted in Indochina during this period caused many disadvantages for the Indochina - US commercial relationship. The Indochinese Union did not have much freedom in choosing trade partners and was highly dependent on France's policies in the colonies. Apart from the subjection to France’s manipulation, commercial exchanges between the Indochina and the US had different rules compared to other European and American countries. Starting from merely commercial activities, the US intervened more deeply in the region by launching a military invasion of Indochina. This study contributes to clarifying the commercial policies of France towards the Indochina during the colonial period, the commercial activities of the US in the Far East region, as well as the history of Vietnam in the first half of the XX century.

KeywordsThe United States, France, Vietnam, Indochina, trade, commercial activities
Received21.04.2024
Publication date05.05.2024
Number of characters26097
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Table of contents

INTRODUCTION
TRADE BETWEEN THE US AND FRENCH INDOCHINA BEFORE THE WORLD WAR I
TRADE BETWEEN THE US AND FRENCH INDOCHINA DURING THE WORLD WAR I
TRADE BETWEEN THE US AND FRENCH INDOCHINA IN THE PERIOD OF 1919-1928
TRADE BETWEEN THE US AND FRENCH INDOCHINA DURING THE ECONOMIC CRISIS FROM 1929 TO 1933
TRADE BETWEEN THE US AND FRENCH INDOCHINA DURING THE PERIOD OF 1934-1938
TRADE BETWEEN THE US AND FRENCH INDOCHINA THE PERIOD OF THE WORLD WAR II (1939–1945)
CONCLUSION
1

INTRODUCTION
2 From the second half of the XIX century, the demand for commercial cooperation between the two continents of Asia and Europe had been increasingly strong. Instead of establishing equal relationships, the cooperation had taken place in a confrontational and unfair fashion due to the military intervention of Western countries in the East. In the XIX century, from the position of independent countries, Indochina became a colony of France. Within the rights of a protector, the French government issued many policies to tightly manage the economy of Indochina. As a result, the implementation of commercial exchanges with the US of Indochina took place under the strict control of the colonial French government. Despite being the latecomer as compared to Great Britain Spain or the Netherlands, the US, with its good relationship with France, gained many new advantages in commercial exchanges with Indochina. Towards the end of the 1930s, the US made remarkable progress in commercial cooperation with Indochina. This was also the time when the US foreign policy towards Indochina began to undergo many changes. From pure commercial cooperation, the US became more deeply involved in Indochina through military intervention.
3

TRADE BETWEEN THE US AND FRENCH INDOCHINA BEFORE THE WORLD WAR I
4 In 1897, France launched the first colonial exploitation program in Indochina. The process of investing in infrastructure, building factories and processing plants by France increased the demand for essential goods, especially machinery, metals, and metal products. In these early years, the US did not yet dominate trade with Indochina, but instead, it was Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Russia. The quantity and value of goods imported from the US were not separately recorded by the French colonial government but instead were grouped together with European and American countries. It was not until 1905 that imported goods from the US were first recorded separately by the French government.
5
Screenshot_1

Chart 1: The value of Indochina’s imported goods from Europe and the US in 1905 Unit: francs
6 [Source: Ministère des colonies, Ofice colonial, 1907, p.178-181]
7 In 1907, Jacob Elon Conner was appointed as the consul in Vietnam. Along with stabilizing the organizational structure, Conner quickly initiated meetings with representatives of the French authorities in Indochina to approve a trade cooperation mechanism. On January 28, 1908, a trade agreement between the US government and the French gvernment was passed in Washington [Nguyen, 2017, p.77-78]. The agreement allowed the US to export some types of goods to Indochina and mainland France with preferential tariffs. In return, the US government also agreed to apply this preferential tariff to some types of French goods. The agreement facilitated many US companies’ exporting goods to Indochina. The value of US exported goods arriving at Saigon, Haiphong, and Danang ports rose steadily over the years. In 1909, Indochina imported 9,929 tonnes of goods from the US, worth 1,684 thousand francs; in 1911, the amount of imported goods reached 6,629 tons, worth 1,314 thousand francs and in 1913, it reached 9,378 tons, worth 2,928 thousand francs [Nguyen, 2017, p.77-78].
8 Regarding exports, statistical data show that most of the exported goods from Indochina during this period were directed to the French market and countries such as Great Britain, Germany, Russia, Hong Kong, China, and Japan,... For the US, the amount of goods exported to this country was not significant over the years, mainly white rice, crude rubber, leather, and some spices [Ministère des colonies, Ofice colonial 1907, p. 308-311].
9

TRADE BETWEEN THE US AND FRENCH INDOCHINA DURING THE WORLD WAR I
10 With the outbreak of the World War I, in order to mobilize resources for the war, the French colonial government intensified production activities in Indochina. The number of ships from various countries coming to Indochina for trade during the war period thereby steadily increased over the years. In this period, the number of ships from various countries arriving in Indochina reached 6,499, with a tonnage of 11,664 thousand tones [Union Française, 1948, p. 290]. Trade between the US and Indochina also achieved more favorable results than in the previous per
11
Screenshot_2

Chart 2: The number and tonnage of steamships entering Indochina by nationality (1914-1918) Unit: Thousand tones
12

[Source: Gouvernement général de l'Indochine, 1927, p. 142]
13 There were 397 steamships with a tonnage of 658,000 tonnes from the US that entered Indochina. The volume of American ships entering the country increased gradually with each year of the World War I. While the U.S. only had 17 ships entering Indochina in 1914, the number increased to 139 ships by 1918. The cargo tonnage transported by U.S. ships also increased significantly from 40,000 tonnes in 1914 to 243,000 tonnes in 1918 (a nearly 6.1 times increase). In contrast, the number of ships from Great Britain entering Indochina declined in 1917 and 1918. However, for the whole period, compared to Great Britain, the number of U.S. ships entering Indochina was still relatively modest. The conflicts between France and Germany in the World War I disrupted trade activities between Indochina and Germany during this period.

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