The Eight-Nation Alliance (Chinese: 八国联军/八國聯軍; pinyin: Bāguó Liánjūn) was an international coalition set up in response to the Boxer Rebellion by the nations of Japan, Russia, the British Empire, France, the United States, Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. The coalition of military forces initially dispatched ostensibly to act as bodyguards for merchants of their Nations (and other persons, largely confined to the "foreign settlements", so-called "treaty ports" etc.) launched what has been termed a "humanitarian intervention", invading Qing China; eventually relieving the Siege of the International Legations in Beijing during the summer of 1900.