The Russo-Japanese War began on February 8, 1904, when the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Russian naval vessels at Port Arthur in China. In the late 1890s the Russians had negotiated with China for the right to extend their Trans-Siberian Railway across Chinese Manchuria and to secure a strategic base at Port Arthur. The Japanese, who also wanted to establish dominance in the region, went to war with Russia before the completion of the railway. The Russo-Japanese War, which marked the first time an Asian power had defeated a European power in modern times, established Japan as a major force in world affairs.