The British went to war with China in 1839 due to China's destruction of British opium and the refusal to compensate. The goal was to force the emperor to re-open trade, leading to the signing of significant treaties.
The British went to war with China in 1839 for multiple reasons. Initially, it was in response to China's destruction of British opium in Canton and the refusal of the Chinese emperor to apologize or compensate. The British attacked Chinese ports to force the emperor to re-open trade, leading to the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 and the Treaty of Bog in 1843.
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Answer: The British were smuggling opium from their Indian colonies into Chinese ports against the wishes of the Chinese government.
Explanation: Hong Kong became a British colony through two wars: the First and Second Opium Wars. The First Opium War broke out in 1839. It is called the 'Opium War' because of one of its major causes: the British were smuggling opium from their Indian colonies into Chinese ports against the wishes of the Chinese government.