Instead of importing opium to China, what else might the British have done to restore the balance of trade?

Question

late 1800's...

Answer 1

I understand your question, and it's a good one. You know what the Opium Wars were about starting in the 1840s. Britain did not want to lose bullion - -gold and silver - - to pay for tea, silk, and other goods desired from China. It was cheaper for them to trade opium from opium growing regions in Asia that they controlled. It was truly despicable to force the Chinese to accept opium in trade at the point of gunboat cannons.
This did not end until the early 1900s.

So what else could they have traded? Wool, cotton, and linen textiles would be a more ethically correct exchange item and would have helped with jobs at home in England. By 1850 Britain led the world in cloth production. They also led the world in steel production ~ 1850 - - though the USA and the new country of Germany would catch up and pass them by ~ the 1890s. Cloth and steel might not have been as marketable in China or brought the same high profits as opium, but it would have been much more morally defensible.

Added Note - Hong Kong was nothing in the early 1840s when Britain gained the rights to it. It was just a foothold for the exploitation of China. I don't mean to be unfair to the English. By 1900, many European countries and Japan were exploiting the daylights out of China - - including the USA.
It is no wonder they do not trust the West and Japan today. History is worth studying.
And, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese control in 1997.

I wouldn't say Britain wanted to control the world as much as they wished to profit from it. Many countries are guilty of that including the USA.

Answer 2

the british did not want to "restore a balance" of trade. the opium wars were about gaining control of Hong Kong . it reamined a British Crown Colony until year 2000 I think ? then it reverted back to China.

Answer 3

MIlk!!Haha...jk.(most chinese,if not all,are lactose intolerant).The chinese were very self sufficent.....there wasnt much that the english wanted to give them.So they chose opium....horrible but they wanted to control the world.What they could have done was lay rails...etc and bring technology into china.....but that was hardly profitable....for them.Anyways cya

Answer 4

i guess..they signed a treaty..?..they imported goods but not much of a medicine like a narotic drug,opium..