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A short history of China

For thousands of years China was a regional power in the East. Its affairs were largely unknown to westerners, although they knew of its existence and called it Sinim (Isaiah 49:12). For this reason, international relations with China today commonly use the word Sino. For example, the Wikipedia has a listing: History of Sino-Russian Relations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sino-Russian_relations

China was ruled by emperors in 13 dynasties, beginning with the Xia dynasty in 2070 B.C. and ending in 1912 with the abdication of the last Qing ruler. China then became a Republic known as the Republic of China.

It was during the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) that China discovered that if it were to avoid being colonization by Britain, it would have to modernize and adopt new technology. The British loved their tea which they imported from China, but China had no use for British pounds to pay for it. China demanded silver. It was not long before there was a shortage of silver in Britain, because China needed very few goods in exchange from Britain.

To offset this trade imbalance British merchants imported opium from India and sold it to the Chinese.

“China started accepting foreign trade into the port of Canton in the late 17th century. To counter the trade deficit caused by British demand for Chinese goods, the British owned East India Company (EIC) began importing opium to China.”

https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-the-opium-wars/

It was not long before China had a drug problem, and so in 1810 the Emperor banned the importation of opium. However, the merchants continued to smuggle opium into China.

“The edict had little effect. By 1839 up to 27% of the male Chinese population was addicted to the drug…. In the late 1830s the British were selling 1,400 tons of opium to China per year.”

Finally, the Chinese government confiscated and burned 1,200 tons of opium in the street. The merchants appealed to the British government to “protect” their drug dealers. This precipitated the Opium Wars from 1839-1842 and again from 1856-1860. China lost those wars because of Britain’s superior military technology. The Treaty of Nanking ceded Hong Kong to Britain at the end of the first Opium War in 1842.

Tensions remained high, and a second Opium War broke out in 1856. After Britain captured Peking (now Beijing) in 1860, a new but unequal treaty was signed at the Convention of Peking, which crippled China’s economy and dropped its gross domestic product (GDP) in half.

“The Chinese army had been thoroughly beaten in two successive wars, and China realised they were lagging behind the West. They began a process called the Self-Strengthening Movement, in which China westernised its armaments and technology.”

This was the start of what China refers to as its “Century of Humiliation” from 1839-1945. You can read about it here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_of_humiliation

Most westerners are totally unfamiliar with this, but it is seared into the Chinese psyche and provides the background for its policies today. This includes China’s theft of US technology, a relic from the lesson learned in the Opium Wars.

The Communist forces of Mao Zedong overthrew the leaders of the Republic of China in 1949 and forced them to withdraw to the island of Taiwan, where the Republic has remained to this day. On the mainland, Mao established the People’s Republic of China under the rule of the CCP.

At this time the West, particularly America, became alarmed at the rise of Communism, and so China was isolated until President Nixon began to form diplomatic ties once again in the 1970’s. America soon recognized the PRC as the real China, and the UN Security Council replaced Taiwan with the PRC. Furthermore, US policy officially recognized Taiwan as being part of China. This policy is the official policy to this day on the US government website.

In spite of this, the US government has continued to support Taiwan as an independent country and has continued to supply arms to Taiwan in violation of its own policy. America’s word is not its bond. As Henry Kissinger once said, “To be America’s enemy is dangerous; to be America’s friend is fatal.”

In 1997 the UK finally returned Hong Kong to China as part of a new deal to open up China as a world trading partner. China was admitted to the World Trade Organization. The West thought that they could undermine Communist ideology by introducing new trading practices. Because labor was relatively cheap in China, many western corporations began moving to China, and this caused a huge shift in the world economies. The huge trade imbalance shifted in China’s favor, and this began the greatest shift of world wealth in human history.

The West made the mistake of thinking that China had forgotten the Opium Wars and its Century of Humiliation. This history is largely forgotten in the West, but it is part of every school’s history lesson in China. They are determined to never let this happen again. The West has interpreted this in terms of China being the enemy. No doubt this is largely true, but there is solid reason for this. The West bears responsibility for this.

This is where China inadvertently began to intersect actively with Bible prophecy. Our Jubilee Prayer Campaign in 1993, followed by the House passing the GATT Treaty (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) on November 29, 1994, began the time of China’s preparation to take its role as one of the kings from the east (Revelation 16:12). As we approach the end of the age and the downfall of Mystery Babylon, God is using kings from the east once again to bring the long tribulation and captivities to an end.

The original city of Babylon was taken by Cyrus the Persian and Darius the Mede. They were the original kings from the east. Today Mystery Babylon is being overthrown by greater forces, Russia and China. Western Christians pray for the end of Mystery Babylon, but they do not like God’s methods. God has use for both Christians and non-Christians. Russia a Christian (Orthodox) nation today; China is a Communist nation.

The final outcome of God’s plan is to use both in order to establish His Kingdom. While the plan is still unfolding, few people understand what God is doing. Many events frighten people. Some think that the world will soon be destroyed. But those who believe the Scriptures have faith that God has not lost control and that His plan will prevail.