As ITO's proposal, though the gold standard system was becoming a mainstream in Europe and the United States at that time, Asian countries including Qing were still a silver-oriented economic area and nickel silver (Mexican dollar silver coin) was used for foreign trade.
伊藤の建議どおり当時欧米では金本位制が主流になりつつあったとはいえ、清をはじめアジア諸国は依然として銀主体の経済圏であり、また対外交易でも洋銀（メキシコドル銀貨）が通用していた。