When Europeans first resumed trade with other Eurasian civilizations after the fall of the Roman Empire, they had a particular interest in Chinese goods. First, the middle men bought pottery, silk, and tea from the Arabs. When new technology and navigation skills helped them (especially the British) sail to China and trade with the Chinese directly in return for paying higher prices through those Arab middle-men, the Europeans found that the Chinese had little interest in what they had to offer. The Chinese are almost self sufficient. The Europeans, however, were deterred, and looked to secondary markets to provide the goods with which the Chinese could trade.
Thus, European-Polynesian relations were greatly stimulated by European trade in China, as the British found necessary goods in the Pacific islands such as sandalwood, pearls and other exotics if they wanted to trade with China. The British were so covetous of the Chinese, clay and silk, that they also fostered Sulu and their complex pyramid of servitude. For many years the British acquired essential Chinese trade goods from the South and disguised the slavery they indirectly aided.
In time, the British found the Chinese had an insatiable demand for silver, as the reserves of the rich Middle Kingdom had significantly failed. with precious metals. Thus silver, imported from the New World, became an important part of trade with China. The British used this commodity to supply the goods they sought in Polynesia and were also able to trade with China. At the time, however, the British refused to trade their precious metals, preferring to keep them at home as mercenaries. So they started looking for a replacement.
They found in opium. The British discovered that the opium poppy was growing well in their Indian colony and the Chinese, especially the lowly members of the Chinese government, were quite fond of it. Since opium is an addictive substance, it created its own demand and allowed the British to extract huge profits from their Chinese market. He also made his Indian colony useful by giving him an important crop. In time the Chinese government realized how much opium was destroying the Chinese economy and people and banned it. However, war, opium, and war are brought upon the British, and China, and Britain also. By the end of the Opium War, Britain was in a better position to negotiate new market agreements, so they no longer needed those secondary markets to supply the Chinese with exotic goods for their tributary system.
