The Opium Wars joined trade imbalance to gunboat coercion

Qing China's experience shows how a merchant-led opening backed by empire could still become coercive. Britain sold opium to offset the silver demanded for Chinese goods, while Qing authorities tried to restrict a trade that was damaging Chinese society. British naval power then forced the issue in the Opium Wars. Narcotics, trade imbalance, silver flows, and gunboat diplomacy all belonged to the same conflict. Britain's approach to Asian trade was therefore no more inherently benign than Perry's.