The first unequal treaty signed by China was the treaty of nanking. Treaty of nanking, also known as Jiangning Treaty, was signed on August 29th, 842 at/kloc-0. It was signed by Jiao Ying, an imperial envoy of the Qing government, and Pu Dingcha, a representative of the British side. Treaty of nanking was the product of the failure of the first opium war in China, and its signing also marked the end of the first opium war.

(1842) In June, the Opium War had been going on for nearly two years. The British Expeditionary Force attacked Zhenjiang on June 14. After a bloody battle, the British army occupied Zhenjiang. After a short rest, they continued to go upstream and pointed to Nanjing. At this time, Niu Jian, the governor of the two rivers, had lost the belief of resistance and shifted his strategic focus from deploying defense to making peace with the British army.

Zhang Xi, the servant of Ilib, played an important role. He first had a preliminary discussion with Maluhan, the representative of Puding Tea, on the British proposal at Jinghai Temple in Shimonoseki outside Nanjing. Soon, Xian Ling, the former deputy commander-in-chief of Jilin and the fourth-class bodyguard, together with Jiangning's deployment envoy and Jiangsu Governor Huang, resumed talks with Ma Ruhan.

Legal basis:

Article 5 of the Procedure Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) for Concluding Treaties, the decision procedures for negotiating and signing treaties and agreements are as follows:

(1) To negotiate and sign treaties and agreements in the name of People's Republic of China (PRC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the relevant departments of the State Council shall, jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, put forward suggestions, draw up Chinese drafts of treaties and agreements, and submit them to the State Council for examination and decision;

(2) To negotiate and sign treaties and agreements in the name of the people of China and the government of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall make suggestions and draw up Chinese drafts of treaties and agreements, or the relevant departments of the State Council shall make suggestions and draw up Chinese drafts of treaties and agreements, and after consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, submit them to the State Council for examination and decision. With the consent of the State Council, the Chinese version of an agreement on specific business matters shall be examined and decided by the relevant departments of the State Council, and the opinions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall be sought if necessary.