China would loom large in Roosevelt’s plan to establish a new world order after World War II. A strong, democratic China would stabilize the Pacific, counter a resurgent Japan, and tamp down Soviet expansionism in the region, Roosevelt believed. A democratic China would inspire the colonies of Asia to seek independence and embrace free trade. It would be one of the “four policemen” along with the United States, Great Britain, and the USSR, that would guarantee a permanent peace.
