太平天国运动爆发之初,由于缺乏对中国局势的了解,美国没有制定明确的对华政策。随着对太平天国的深入了解,美国的对华政策由中立而倾太平天国转向中立而倾清政府。美国对华政策的转变受美国在华传教士和美国驻华公使的主张及美国自身利益的影响。 At the beginning of the Taiping Campaign, the United States did not formulate a clear policy on China because of a lack of understanding of the situation in China. With an in-depth understanding of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the U.S. policy toward China turned its government from a neutral and tilting Taiping to a neutral one. The U.S. policy toward China has been affected by the claims of the U.S. missionaries in China and the U.S. ambassador to China and the U.S. interests.