
After the First Opium War, Macao (Macau) lost some influence to Hong Kong as a trade port. Portugal colonised Macao from 1846 and the Qing court recognised its perpetual occupation of Macao in 1887.
After the First Opium War, Macao (Macau) lost some influence to Hong Kong as a trade port. Portugal colonised Macao from 1846 and the Qing court recognised its perpetual occupation of Macao in 1887.
Macao (Macau) became an entrepot for opium trade in the 18th century. However, its status started to change when being caught between the Sino-British contradictory interests during the 1840 First Opium War.
The opening-up of Hong Kong struck Macao’s (Macau) commercial significance. In response, the Portuguese attempted to colonise Macao. The city gradually became a Portuguese colony under Governor João Ferreira do Amaral’s rule.
The Portuguese Macao (Macau) government’s colonial rules was on no legal ground. Therefore, Portugal tried to force the Qing court into ceding Macao. The Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Friendship and Trade was signed in 1862, but it never came into force.
The 1862 Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Friendship and Trade was a vain attempt to settle the Macao (Macau) issue. The solution came more than 20 years later in 1887 when the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking was signed. Under the treaty, the Qing court confirmed the Portuguese perpetual occupation of Macao.
The Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking provided the legal ground for Portuguese rule over Macao (Macau) but brought about disputes over Macao’s boundaries. As Portuguese expansion grew, it took control over the Macao Peninsula, and the islands of Ilha Verde, Taipa, and Coloane.