Early Relations with China

The US wanted to take advantage of its proximity to China. The China Market myth became a guiding dream. China, the middle kingdom (the Q'ing Dynasty) with its Emperor in Beijing, was not at all interested in trade.

The Opium War (1839-1842) and the Treaty of Nanjing/Nanking (1842)

The Opium War was fought over British smuggling of opium into China as a method of countering its trade imbalances and loss of silver to China.

An American Company, Russel & Co. of Boston, was the third largest Opium smuggler invested in the China trade.

This Opium trade ruined the country. The Chinese government finally took action, confiscating the Opium stored in the warehouses and sparking a war with Britain.

China was no match for the British and was quickly defeated. The treaty of Nanjing bacame a gateway for European Imperialism and a model for all future treaties in Asia. It was an unequal treaty making China a semi-colonial state. It granted Britain two landmark rights:

• Most Favored Nation Status: As others extract concessions from China, the Chinese have to give the same rights to Britain.
• Extraterritoriality: British subjects were immune to judgement by Chinese courts. This freed the British from the harsh Chinese examination and punishment processes. This freed the British Opium smugglers to operate.

The Cushing Mission (1843) and the Treaty of Wangxia (1844)

The US approached the Chinese government demanding a treaty with China equal to that which they had granted Britain. This demand was initially refused: then the US sent Cushing.

Part of what led to the Cushing mission was the American reaction to Chinese justice. In what became known as the Terranova Case, an Italian sailor working on an American ship accidentally caused the drowning of a Chinese woman. He was tried in a Chinese court and strangled to death.

Cushing made the first use of what would become known as American Gunboat Diplomacy. He arrived with four steel warships. When China continued to refuse, he threatened war and immediate attack upon Beijing and the Emperor. With their Emperor's life in danger, the Chinese gave in and granted both Most Favored Nation Status and Extrateritoriality to the United States.

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