The Treaty of Nanking, officially the Treaty of Peace, Amity and Commerce between Great Britain and China, was a peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839-1842) between the United Kingdom and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842. It was the first of what would eventually be known as the Unequal Treaties, a series of treaties signed in the 19th and 20th centuries between Western powers and the Chinese Empire.
The consequences of the Treaty of Nanking extended far beyond its immediate economic, political, and military ramifications. Although the treaty signalled an end to the war and temporarily improved relations between the two countries, over time it became the embodiment of a new imperialistic order of unequal, unequal power relations between the European states and China. This served to undermine centuries of Chinese conventions for respecting foreign nations and was a primary catalyst for the Second Opium War, a sequel to the first war in 1856.
The Treaty of Nanking also transformed trade relations between Great Britain and China, causing the Chinese economy to decline and the British economy to gain momentum. The treaty gave British traders access to five Chinese ports, including Shanghai, and the right to establish foreign enclaves within them. This meant that British merchants were able to operate inside China, subject only to Chinese regulations. As a result, British merchants had an advantage over other foreign traders and soon gained a near monopoly on the Chinese import and export trades. By the late 19th century, British merchants controlled nearly half of all Chinese imports and exports.
Meanwhile, the Treaty of Nanking also deprived China of taxes, tariffs, and other revenues that could have been used to finance defensive and economic improvements in the country. Thousands of Chinese civilians were displaced when the treaty ceded Hong Kong Island to Great Britain, while severe economic losses were sustained due to the forced opening of the port of Canton (Guangzhou) to foreign imports. These losses were made worse when the British also demanded reparations from the Chinese government in return for their losses during the war. This effectively drained large amounts of money from the Chinese treasury, leading to fiscal difficulties and a weakened Chinese economy.
The unequal status established by the Treaty of Nanking provided European powers with the opportunity to impose even harsher demands on China in subsequent negotiations. For example, the Treaty of Tientsin of 1858 allowed Britain, France, and the United States even more access to Chinese ports, while the Treaty of Beijing in 1860 allowed additional indemnities and foreign control of Chinese tariffs.
The treaty also inspired a wave of anti-Western sentiment in China. Chinese resentment of the treaty’s provisions increased throughout the 19th century and culminated in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. Chinese nationalists used this conflict to launch an attack on foreign influences in their country, claiming that the unequal treaties and the presence of Western traders posed a threat to Chinese sovereignty.
The repercussions of the Treaty of Nanking also extended beyond Chinese domestic politics. In many ways, the treaty served as a template for other imperialist powers who sought to expand their influence in Asia. It provided a blueprint for how foreign powers could use unequal treaties to gain concessions from weaker Chinese governments.
In the end, the Treaty of Nanking provides a powerful reminder of how unequal treaties can dominate international relations, weaken an already fragile nation, and create lasting anger and resentment. The economic and political repercussions of the treaty set the stage for further unrest in the 19th century and continue to shape Chinese and international politics to this day. Despite its expiration in 1980, its legacy is still felt today, as China continues to grapple with the legacy of unequal power dynamics that were imposed upon it by European powers during this period.