CHINA’S ROLE IN THE DRUG TRADE TODAY HAS EERIE PARALLELS TO BRITAIN’S ROLE IN THE OPIUM TRADE IN THE 19TH CENTURY

Today, Canadians are embroiled in a political scandal involving Chinese interference in our elections. I was watching the National News on CBC about a young Canadian who died of a drug overdose linked to Bromazolam .

According to the story:

Still, the source of the majority of synthetic drugs flooding North American markets isn’t hard to pinpoint. Early on in the fentanyl crisis, Chinese chemical firms were identified as the prime global exporters of the powerful opioid, even offering small-scale overseas deliveries via the post.
CHINA AS SOURCE
Under U.S. pressure, the Chinese government banned fentanyl exports in 2019, but the companies remain deeply involved in the illicit trade. Now, they ship out precursor chemicals in great quantities to countries like Mexico, where local labs synthesize opioids and methamphetamines, which are then smuggled into the U.S. and Canada by drug cartels.

Something clicked, and I remembered studying something about Britain’s role in the opium trade in China. it suddenly seemed that China might be doing to the West what we had done to them 150 years ago. So, I went to my research assistant to get the scoop.

We asked chat.openai.com (CHAT GPT):
Did Britain play a role in the opium trade in China prior to the Boxer Rebellion?

“Britain played a significant role in the opium trade in China prior to the Boxer Rebellion. The opium trade was a result of British merchants exporting opium grown in British India to China in the 18th and 19th centuries.
During this period, the British East India Company and later British private traders realized the profitability of the opium trade in China. They began smuggling opium into China to meet the growing demand for the drug, which had addictive properties. The Chinese government initially tried to prohibit opium imports, but their efforts were largely ineffective.
The British traders, with the support of the British government, continued the opium trade despite Chinese resistance. They used various tactics, including bribery and corruption, to maintain their operations. The opium trade grew rapidly, leading to widespread addiction among the Chinese population and draining China’s silver reserves.

Bromazolam is a potent sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic drug that belongs to the benzodiazepine class. It is a derivative of the popular benzodiazepine alprazolam and shares similar pharmacological effects. Bromazolam has gained attention in recent years as a research chemical and has also been encountered in illicit drug markets. (CHAT GPT)

The negative impact of the opium trade on Chinese society, economy, and public health eventually led to the outbreak of the First Opium War (1839-1842) between China and Britain. The British military, with its superior firepower, defeated the Chinese forces and forced China to sign the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. The treaty opened up several Chinese ports to British trade, ceded Hong Kong to Britain, and imposed indemnities on China.
The opium trade continued to expand after the First Opium War, leading to further conflicts between China and Britain. The Second Opium War (1856-1860) occurred, again primarily driven by British interests in the opium trade. The war resulted in additional treaties that granted more concessions to the British, including the legalization of the opium trade and the expansion of foreign trade in China.
The Boxer Rebellion, which took place from 1899 to 1901, was a violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising in China. While the opium trade was not the direct cause of the Boxer Rebellion, it contributed to the underlying grievances and tensions between China and foreign powers, including Britain.
In summary, Britain played a significant role in the opium trade in China prior to the Boxer Rebellion. The trade had a detrimental impact on China and was a major factor in the conflicts and tensions between Britain and China during that time.”

It is becoming increasingly clear that China’s current leadership isn’t merely intent on becoming a superpower. They have an intense dislike for the West and resent the hypocrisy and the virtue signaling that we represent. They seem intent on using our own centuries-old imperial playbook against us.

Do they have a point?
Yes.
But at least we need to be prepared and recognize those attitudes for what they are.