What was the Opium War between China and Britain fought over?

The Opium War between China and Britain was fought over opium imports. More precisely, the First Opium War began when Qing officials tried to stop Britain’s illicit opium trade in China. In 1839, Commissioner Lin Zexu confiscated and destroyed large British-controlled supplies of opium at Guangzhou.

British merchants demanded compensation, and the British government used the dispute to press for wider trading rights and improved diplomatic access. Britain’s opium shipments, largely supplied from British-controlled India, helped offset its heavy demand for Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain.

The war ended with the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. China paid an indemnity, opened five treaty ports, granted British subjects extraterritorial rights, and ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain. A common oversimplification is to describe the conflict as merely a dispute about one shipment: opium imports were the immediate trigger, but trade privileges and diplomatic status were also major British objectives.