试析中英两国鸦片税厘纷争的主要原因

Major Cause of the Opium Tax Dispute between China and United Kingdom

1858年11月鸦片输华合法化之后,中英两国围绕鸦片税厘又进行了长达50多年的纷争。其主要原因,从国内看,每年成百上千万两的洋土药税厘收入成为清政权赖以维持的重要经济命脉之一。从英国看,从19世纪开始,鸦片收入在英属印度政府财政收入中所占的比重愈来愈大,这些收入的很大一部分以"国内开支"的名义汇回英国,使英国本土也成为鸦片贸易的重要受益者。

Since the entry of opium into China became legal in November 1858, there has been a dispute of over 50 years in opium tax between China and UK. The major cause, as far as China is concerned, the revenue from the opium tax-millions of liang of silver-has become one of the critical economic lifelines for the government of Qing Dynasty. For UK, since the beginning of 19th century, the income from opium has taken up an increasingly larger share in the revenue of India government, one of British colonies at that time. A large percentage of such revenue was sent to UK in the name of “domestic expenditure”, rendering the home land of UK the major beneficiary.