Opium made up more than half the value of the items being shipped to Canton from Britain. The rest was made up of cotton, and other items such as sandlewood, lead, tin, and objects. Opium is extremely addictive, so the Chinese would have a difficult time trying to stop importing it. Even though it was illegal, many corrupt officials turned a blind eye because there were so many addicts. This was a good strategy on the part of the British, since the opium trade would be difficult to stop. The total exports from Britain to Canton made up $32,426,623 (in Spanish dollars.)
The items being imported from Canton to Britain was made up of more than 50% tea. The rest of the items included silk, vermilion, and other goods, such as silver, gold, and sugar. The total value of these imports was $23,852,899 (in Spanish dollars.)
The value of the exports was greater than the value of the imports, meaning China paid more money to Britain than they got in return. The actual difference was: $8,573,734 (on Spanish dollars.) Britain was making a huge profit in this trade, while China fell hard with economic problems.
Britain bullied China, like a strong kid might bully a weak child. It took advantage of the fact that many Chinese were addicted to Opium, to keep selling it to them, even if it was against Chinese law. The British saw an opportunity to not only make a profit, but to also disadvantage the Chinese.
This reminds me of the slave trade. Britain gave up weapons and money, but they got luxury goods in return. Although I'm uncertain of the value of these goods, I'm assuming that the trade off was profitable to the British.
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