Anglo-Chinese Treaty

The Anglo-Chinese Treaty, signed in 1842, was an agreement between Britain and China that marked the end of the First Opium War. It ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain, opened several Chinese ports to foreign trade (called “Treaty Ports”), and granted Britain extraterritorial rights, meaning British citizens in China were subject to British law. It significantly increased foreign influence in China and is considered a starting point of the “Century of Humiliation,” during which Western powers and Japan imposed unequal treaties on China, undermining its sovereignty.