In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, due to internal and external troubles, especially after the Opium War, the Qing Dynasty had to sign a series of unequal treaties, including indemnities to Western powers. The accumulation of these indemnities has caused Qing ** to bear a heavy burden of foreign debt.
According to historical records, the main foreign debts of the Qing Dynasty in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were as follows:
1.Opium War Reparations: In the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, the Qing agreed to pay reparations of 21 million silver dollars to the British.
2.Second Opium War Reparations: In the Treaty of Peking in 1860, the Qing Dynasty paid reparations to Britain and France for a total of about £8 million (equivalent to 21 million taels at the time).
3.Sino-French War Reparations: The Treaty of Tientsin in 1885 stipulated that the Qing Dynasty was required to pay 25 million francs (about 90 million taels at the time) to France
4.Sino-Japanese War Reparations: In the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, the Qing paid 2A huge indemnity of 300 million taels**.
5.Indemnity for the Eight-Nation Alliance: In the 1901 Treaty of Xincho, the Qing were forced to pay 4The indemnity of 500 million taels ** will be repaid in 39 years at an annual interest rate of 4%.
In addition to the major indemnities mentioned above, there are a number of other smaller indemnities and loans. It is estimated that the accumulated foreign debt in the last years of the Qing Dynasty was about 1 billion taels**. This debt was a huge financial burden for Qing ** at that time, which seriously affected its economic and social stability.