Russia, Britain saw a new need to reach out to the outside world. Before the Boer War in South Africa, Joseph Chamberlain proposed an alliance with Germany, but friction developed over the proposed construction of a Baghdad railway by Germany and by growing German influence over Turkey. Britain needed a different alliance and sought it in 1902 with a defensive alliance with japan, an alliance "dictated in part by Anglo-Russian conflicts in the Far East."
In 1903, Britain further extended herself and sought an accommodation with her old enemy, France, and over the next few years Britain came to rely heavily on France. the Anglo-French entente had the odd consequence of seeing France allied with russia in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 while Britain was allied with Japan. This war revealed the weaknesses of Russia to the world: "France noted that her Russian ally might be of small account in a grapple with Germany and was glad of her new understanding with England." A triple-entente would emerge form this war, with Britain also making an alliance with Russia and signing an agreement to that effect in 1907.
Events in China also contributed to the desire on the part of Britain to ally with Japan. The Boxer uprising marked a turning point in China's relations with the West. This had been a vain attempt to drive the westerner out of China, and both Japan and Great Britain saw the new scramble for spheres of influence as detrimental to their interests, though for different reasons:
It was more advantageous to Great Britain that the whole of China should be kept open on equal terms for the enterprise of all, but Japan already aspired to the leadership of Asia in a movement of revolt against the domination of the West. Few, however, realized the extent of japanese ambitions. There seemed, therefore, to be a community of interest between Great Britain and Japan; but, after the Boxer uprising the menace to their inte...