Chuenpi Convention
The Chuenpi Convention was a non-ratified draft treaty to end the First Opium War . The contract was negotiated in January and February 1841 between the British Commissioner General Charles Elliot and the Governor General of Lianguang Qishan in Canton . It has not been ratified by either government.
background
The British government reacted to Lin Zexu's destruction of opium, mainly of British traders, with a punitive military expedition against the Chinese Empire . The British fleet captured Zhoushan and then positioned themselves at the mouth of the Hai He to force the Chinese side to negotiate. Emperor Daoguanginstructed the governor general of Zhili to negotiate with the British. Qishan managed to get the fleet to withdraw from the north. He was appointed Governor General of the Southern Provinces by Daoguang and agreed with Elliot to negotiate in Canton. In January 1841. In order to emphasize their demands, the British captured the outer defensive lines at the mouth of the Pearl River on January 7, 1840 on the orders of Elliot in the Second Battle of Chuenpi .
Negotiations and content
On January 21, Elliot Qishan presented a draft contract in writing. This included the handover of occupied Hong Kong to Great Britain. Likewise, the empire should be obliged to pay 6 million silver dollars as reparation for the destroyed opium. In addition, the Chinese government should allow diplomatic relations with Great Britain on an equal footing. Foreign trade in Canton, which had been blocked until then, should be resumed. As a concession to the Chinese side, the British were supposed to vacate the occupied island of Zhoushan. Qishan offered Elliot the prospect of signing the contract.
However, Emperor Daoguang rejected the treaty. Qishan continued to try to reach a negotiated solution, forging his reports to the imperial court and ignoring the emperor's orders to break off negotiations. He justified his behavior by trying to gain time for a military response to the British. On February 13th, Qishan was replaced by the Manchuad Yishan and arrested. On February 20, Elliot issued an ultimatum to the Chinese authorities. If the Chinese authorities fail to ratify the treaty, the war would continue on the British side. The British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston reprimanded Elliot for accepting a treaty that did not implement all of Palmerston’s negotiating points in favor of the British. As a result, Palmerston replaced Elliot with Henry Pottinger , who should take a more aggressive course in the conflict.
consequences
The British forces continued their offensive in Guangdong and captured the coastal fortifications at the Pearl River Estuary in the Battle of Humen in February 1840 . The war ended with the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842, which was in many respects identical to the Chuenpi Convention.