According to the quote, why should Americans look outward

The quote is:

"Whether they will or not, Americans must now begin to look outward. The growing production of the country demands it. The position of the United States, between the Old World and two great oceans, makes the claim, which will soon be strengthened by the creation of a new link joining the Atlantic and the Pacific, by the advancing civilization of Japan, and by the rapid peopling of our Pacific states."

Alfred T. Mahan, 1890.

According to the quote, Americans should look outward because the localization of the country itself favors such an attitude towards the world "once the production of the country demands it". This means that this look outward is demanded by economic reasons.

These economic reasons are the American imperialism in the context of a production that needed a consumer market to be sold to and also demanded a bigger number of raw materials available to keep the production going.

It was for this reason that American businessmen were interested in Japan as a consumer market for their goods and were also interested in a few regions of Latin America and the Pacific states for raw materials and cheap labor.