Question - Which statement best describes an effect of the Opium Wars on China?

Which statement best describes an effect of the Opium Wars on China? 

A. The British expelled all Chinese from Hong Kong. 

B. The British victory led to spheres of influence in China. 

C. The British ended the importing of opium into China. 

D. The British established a parliamentary democracy in China. 

E. Chinese isolation increased.

Answer: B. 

British victory in the Opium Wars led to spheres of influence in China. In 1839, when the Chinese tried to outlaw the opium trade, the British refused, and continued to import the drug. This led to the Opium Wars. The Chinese were easily defeated and signed the Treaty of Nanking (1842). The British annexed Hong Kong and secured the right to trade at four Chinese ports in addition to Canton. These trading ports became spheres of influence in which European nations secured exclusive trading privileges. After 1870, France, Germany, and Russia gained spheres of influence in China. These spheres of influence opened up China to trade rather than isolating it. The British remained in control of Hong Kong until 1997 and did not establish democracy in China.