China's Unequal Treaties
Unfortunately for China, the 19th and early 20th centuries required China to sign a series of treaties with foreign powers, which resulted in China's loss of territorial and sovereign rights. Trading conflicts between China and Britain started the Unequal treaties. These conflicts became known as the first Opium War (1839-1842). The conflicts stopped in 1842 with the Treaty of Nanking, which stated that China would pay the British an indemnity, gave British control over Hong Kong, and to establish a fair tariff. This also allowed the British merchants to trade in 5 ports instead just one.
Just a year later, Britain added a supplement which was called the British Supplementary Treaty of the Bogue. This supplement allowed British citizens in China to control their own land without being subjected to Chinese laws. It also guaranteed the British any other privileges China bestowed on any other nation.
Then in 1844, China signed the Treaty of Wanghia with the United States and the Treaty of Whampoa with France. Both of these treaties expanded the extraterritorial rights and allowed these nations to maintain a separate legal, judicial, police, and tax system in the treaty ports.
Again in 1858, after the second Opium Wars, the Treaty of Tientsin was signed. This new supplement allowed the foreign diplomats to live in Peking, allowed foreigners to travel through China, opened China's major rivers to foreign navigation, allowed christian missionaries to promote the christian faith, legalized opium, and 10 more ports to foreign trade and residence.
US operating in the Yangtze River
It
was the Treaty of Tientsin that caused the US to operate gunboats
in the Yangtze river. The gunboats were in place to protect
American merchants and its citizens living and working in China.
This was the reason why the USS Panay was escorting three oil
vessels through the Yangtze river on December 12, 1937.
by Peter Bugler May 6, 2001