Since the 19th century, China has seen itself as an unequal partner in international treaties. Despite making difficult concessions, China may be using the international system to bolster its sovereign authority over domestic matters. And by recognizing China as an equal partner, the United States may help legitimate the Chinese Communist Party and its undemocratic practices at home. ADADIn short, the “unequal treaties”— deleterious though they may have been — had a legitimating effect on the Chinese governments that signed them. The unequal treaties themselves bolstered Chinese state power at the time — but then so did the CCP’s pointed rejection of them as humiliating.

Source: Washington Post January 20, 2020 11:03 UTC