Unequal Treaties - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

“Unequal treaty” is a term used in specific reference to a number of treaties imposed by Western powers

Western world

The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...

, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, on Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

and late Tokugawa

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The term is also applied to treaties imposed during the same time frame on late Joseon Dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

by the post-Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...

.

The treaties were often signed by these Asian states after suffering military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

defeat in various skirmishes or wars with the foreign powers or when there was a threat of military action by those powers.

Overview

The term "unequal treaty" did not come into use until early in the 20th century. These treaties were considered unequal in China "because they were not negotiated by nations treating each other as equals but were imposed on China after a war, and because they encroached upon China's sovereign rights ... which reduced her to semicolonial status". In many cases China was effectively forced to pay large amounts of reparations

War reparations

War reparations are payments intended to cover damage or injury during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, rather than such property transfers as the annexation of land.- History :...

, open up ports for trade, cede or lease territories (such as Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

to Great Britain and Macau

Macau

Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

to Portugal), and make various other concessions of sovereignty to foreign "spheres of influence

Sphere of influence

In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence is a spatial region or conceptual division over which a state or organization has significant cultural, economic, military or political influence....

", following military defeats.

The earliest attempt to settle a conflict between Western and Asian powers was the 1841 Convention of Chuenpee negotiations during the First Opium War

First Opium War

The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...

. China

China

and Great Britain

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....

signed the first unequal treaties under the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842. Following Qing China's defeat, treaties with Britain opened up five ports to foreign trade, while also allowing foreign missionaries

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

, at least in theory, to reside within China. In addition, the administration of justice on foreign residents in the port cities were afforded trials by their own consular authorities rather than the Chinese legal system, a concept termed extraterritoriality

Extraterritoriality

Extraterritoriality is the state of being exempt from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. Extraterritoriality can also be applied to physical places, such as military bases of foreign countries, or offices of the United Nations...

.

Some countries failed to press unequal treaties upon China: the Chinese forced the Italians to give up on a demand to hand over Sanmen Bay

Sanmen County

Sanmen County Sanmen County Sanmen County ((Tai-chow dialect: Sæn-meng Yön; Simplified Chinese: 三门县; Hanyu Pinyin: Sānmén Xiàn) is a county under the jurisdiction of Taizhou city/Municipality in Zhejiang Province of the People's Republic of China. The county's total area is 1072 square kilometers,...

to them.

When the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Commodore Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry (naval officer)

Matthew Calbraith Perry was the Commodore of the U.S. Navy and served commanding a number of US naval ships. He served several wars, most notably in the Mexican-American War and the War of 1812. He played a leading role in the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854...

forced open Japan in 1854, Japan was soon prompted to sign the Convention of Kanagawa
Convention of Kanagawa
On March 31, 1854, the or was concluded between Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. Navy and the Tokugawa shogunate.-Treaty of Peace and Amity :...

, which was similar to ones China had signed.

Korea's first unequal treaty was not with the West but with Japan. Taking a page from Western tactics, in 1875 Japan sent Captain Inoue Yoshika

Inoue Yoshika

- Notes :...

and the warship Un'yō to display military might over Korea in the Ganghwa Island incident

Ganghwa Island incident

The Ganghwa Island incident or the Japanese Battle of Ganghwa , was an armed encounter between the Joseon Dynasty and Japan which occurred in the vicinity of Ganghwa Island on September 20, 1875.-Background:...

. This forced Korea to open its doors to Japan by signing the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876.

The unequal treaties ended at various times for the countries involved. Japan's victories in the 1894–95 First Sino-Japanese War

First Sino-Japanese War

The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...

convinced many in the West that unequal treaties could no longer be enforced on Japan. Korea's unequal treaties with European states became largely null and void in 1910, when it was annexed by Japan

Korea under Japanese rule

Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....

.

After World War I, patriotic consciousness in China focused on the treaties, which now became widely known as "unequal treaties." Nationalist Party and the Communist Party competed to convince the public that their approach would be more effective. Germany was forced to terminate its rights, the Soviet Union ostentatiously surrendered them, and the United States organized Washington Conference

Washington Conference

Several significant conferences have been held in Washington:*Washington Naval Conference: meeting between representatives of 9 nations with interests in the Pacific; November, 1921 and February, 1922....

to negotiate them. After Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....

declared a new national government in 1927, the western powers quickly offered diplomatic recognition, arousing anxiety in Japan. The new government declared to the Great Powers that China had been exploited for decades under unequal treaties, and that the time for such treaties was over, demanding they renegotiate all of them on equal terms. In the face of Japanese expansion in China, however, ending the system was postponed.

Most of China's unequal treaties were abrogated during the Second Sino-Japanese War

Second Sino-Japanese War

The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...

, which started in 1937 and merged into the larger context of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The United States Congress ended American extraterritoriality

Extraterritoriality

in December, 1943. Significant examples of unequal treaties on China did outlast World War II: unequal treaties regarding Hong Kong remained in place until Hong Kong's 1997 handover

Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong

The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...

, and in 1969, to improve Sino-Russian relations, China reconfirmed the 1859 Treaty of Aigun

Treaty of Aigun

The Treaty of Aigun was a 1858 treaty between the Russian Empire, and the empire of the Qing Dynasty, the sinicized-Manchu rulers of China, that established much of the modern border between the Russian Far East and Manchuria , which is now known as Northeast China...

Select list of unequal treaties

Imposed on China
Treaty		Year	Imposer
English name	Chinese name	Year	Imposer
Treaty of Nanjing		1842
Treaty of the Bogue Treaty of the Bogue The Treaty of the Bogue was an agreement between China and the United Kingdom, which was concluded in October 1843 in order to supplement the previous Treaty of Nanking...		1843
Treaty of Wanghia Treaty of Wanghia The Treaty of Wanghia , is a diplomatic agreement between the Qing Dynasty of China and the United States, signed on 3 July 1844 in the Kun Iam Temple...		1844
Treaty of Whampoa Treaty of Whampoa The Treaty of Whampoa was a commercial treaty between France and China, which was signed by Théodore de Lagrené and Qiying on October 24, 1844.-Terms:...		1844	French colonial empire French colonial empire The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
Treaty of Canton Treaty of Canton The Treaty of Canton in 1847 was made between representatives of Sweden-Norway and Imperial China.The treaty was negotiated in March 1847 by Carl Fredrik Liljevalch and Qiying.-Provisions:...		1847	United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway Union between Sweden and Norway The Union between Sweden and Norway , officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, consisted of present-day Sweden and Norway between 1814 and 1905, when they were united under one monarch in a personal union....
Treaty of Kulja Treaty of Kulja The Treaty of Kulja was a treaty established in 1851 between Qing Dynasty and Russian Empire, opening Kulja and Chuguchak to Sino-Russian trade...		1851
Treaty of Aigun Treaty of Aigun The Treaty of Aigun was a 1858 treaty between the Russian Empire, and the empire of the Qing Dynasty, the sinicized-Manchu rulers of China, that established much of the modern border between the Russian Far East and Manchuria , which is now known as Northeast China...		1858	Russian Empire
Treaty of Tientsin Treaty of Tientsin Several documents known as the "Treaty of Tien-tsin" were signed in Tianjin in June 1858, ending the first part of the Second Opium War . The Second French Empire, United Kingdom, Russian Empire, and the United States were the parties involved...		1858	French colonial empire French colonial empire The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire... , , Russian Empire,
Convention of Peking Convention of Peking The Convention of Peking or the First Convention of Peking is the name used for three different unequal treaties, which were concluded between Qing China and the United Kingdom, France, and Russia.-Background:...		1860	, French colonial empire French colonial empire The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire... ,
Treaty of Tientsin Treaty of Tientsin Several documents known as the "Treaty of Tien-tsin" were signed in Tianjin in June 1858, ending the first part of the Second Opium War . The Second French Empire, United Kingdom, Russian Empire, and the United States were the parties involved...		1861	,
Chefoo Convention Chefoo Convention The Chefoo Convention was an "unequal treaty" between the Qing and British Empires, which was signed by Sir Thomas Wade and Li Hongzhang in Chefoo on 21 August 1876...		1876
Treaty of Saint Petersburg Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881) The Treaty of Saint Petersburg , also known as Treaty of Ili, was the treaty between the Russian Empire and the Chinese Empire, signed in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on 12 February 1881...		1881
Treaty of Tientsin (1885) Treaty of Tientsin (1885) The Treaty of Tientsin, signed on 9 June 1885, officially ended the Sino-French War. The treaty, in ten articles, restated in greater detail the main provisions of the Tientsin Accord, signed between France and China on 11 May 1884...		1885	French colonial empire French colonial empire The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking signed December 1, 1887, was a trade treaty signed between Portugal and Qing dynasty China.-Signing:On 13 August 1862 an attempt was made between China and Portugal to sign a trade treaty in Tientsin. If the treaty was not ratified in 2 years, it would become null....		1887	Kingdom of Portugal Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...
Treaty of Shimonoseki (Treaty of Maguan) Treaty of Shimonoseki The Treaty of Shimonoseki , known as the Treaty of Maguan in China, was signed at the Shunpanrō hall on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing Empire of China, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. The peace conference took place from March 20 to April 17, 1895...		1895	Empire of Japan
Li-Lobanov Treaty Li-Lobanov Treaty The Li–Lobanov Treaty or the Sino-Russian Secret Treaty was a treaty signed on June 3, 1896 in Moscow by foreign minister Alexey Lobanov-Rostovsky and finance minister Sergey Witte on behalf of the Russian Empire and viceroy Li Hongzhang on behalf of China...		1896
Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory The Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting an Extension of Hong Kong Territory or the Second Convention of Peking was a lease signed between Qing Dynasty and the United Kingdom in 1898.-Background:...		1898
Guangzhouwan Leased Terrority		1899	French colonial empire French colonial empire The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
Boxer Protocol Boxer Protocol The Boxer Protocol was signed on September 7, 1901 between the Qing Empire of China and the Eight-Nation Alliance that had provided military forces plus Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands after China's defeat in the intervention to put down the Boxer Rebellion at the hands of the...		1901	, , Empire of Japan, , French colonial empire French colonial empire The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire... , , , , , ,
Simla Accord		1914
Twenty-One Demands Twenty-One Demands The ' were a set of demands made by the Empire of Japan under Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu sent to the nominal government of the Republic of China on January 18, 1915, resulting in two treaties with Japan on May 25, 1915.- Background :...		1915	Empire of Japan
Tanggu Truce Tanggu Truce The Tanggu Truce, sometimes called the Tangku Truce , Japanese , was a cease-fire signed between China and Empire of Japan in Tanggu District, Tianjin on May 31, 1933, formally ending the Japanese invasion of Manchuria which had begun two years earlier....		1933	Empire of Japan
Imposed on Japan
Treaty		Year	Imposer
English name	Japanese name	Year	Imposer
Convention of Kanagawa Convention of Kanagawa On March 31, 1854, the or was concluded between Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. Navy and the Tokugawa shogunate.-Treaty of Peace and Amity :...		1854
Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty The between Britain and Japan was signed October 14, 1854 in Nagasaki. The United Kingdom was represented by Admiral Sir James Stirling, with the governors of Nagasaki representing the Tokugawa shogunate ....		1854
Ansei Treaties Ansei Treaties The Ansei Treaties or the Ansei Five-Power Treaties are a series of treaties signed in 1858, during the Japanese Ansei era, between Japan on the one side, and the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Netherlands and France on the other...		1858	, , Russian Empire, , French colonial empire French colonial empire The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
Treaty of Amity and Commerce (Harris Treaty)		1858
Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce The was signed on August 26, 1858 by Lord Elgin and the then representatives of the Japanese government . This was an unequal treaty, that gave Japan semi-colonial status.The concessions which Japan made were threefold:...		1858
Prussian-Japanese Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation Eulenburg Expedition The Eulenburg Expedition was a diplomatic mission conducted by Friedrich Albrecht zu Eulenburg on behalf of Prussia and the German Customs Union in 1859-62...		1861
Imposed on Korea
Treaty		Year	Imposer
English name	Korean name	Year	Imposer
Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876 (Treaty of Ganghwa)		1876	Empire of Japan
United States-Korea Treaty of 1882 United States-Korea Treaty of 1882 A Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation was negotiated between representatives of the United States and Korea in 1882.The final draft was accepted at Chemulpo near the Korean capital of Hanseong in April and May 1884.-Background:...		1882
Japan-Korea Treaty of 1882 (Treaty of Chemulpo)		1882	Empire of Japan
China–Korea Treaty of 1882 (Joseon-Qing Communication and Commerce Rules)		1882
Germany-Korea Treaty of 1883 Germany-Korea Treaty of 1883 The Germany-Korea Treaty of 1883 was negotiated between representatives of Germany and Korea.-Background:In 1876, Korea established a trade treaty with Japan after Japanese ships approached Ganghwado and threatened to fire on the Korean capital city...		1883
United Kingdom-Korea Treaty of 1883 United Kingdom-Korea Treaty of 1883 The United Kingdom-Korea Treaty of 1883 was negotiated between representatives of the United Kingdom and Korea.-Background:In 1876, Korea established a trade treaty with Japan after Japanese ships approached Ganghwado and threatened to fire on the Korean capital city...		1883
Russia-Korea Treaty of 1884 Russia-Korea Treaty of 1884 -Background:In 1876, Korea established a trade treaty with Japan after Japanese ships approached Ganghwado and threatened to fire on the Korean capital city...		1884
Italy-Korea Treaty of 1884 Italy-Korea Treaty of 1884 -Background:In 1876, Korea established a trade treaty with Japan after Japanese ships approached Ganghwado and threatened to fire on the Korean capital city...		1884
Japan-Korea Treaty of 1885 (Treaty of Hanseong)		1885	Empire of Japan
France-Korea Treaty of 1886 France-Korea Treaty of 1886 -Background:In 1876, Korea established a trade treaty with Japan after Japanese ships approached Ganghwado and threatened to fire on the Korean capital city...		1886	French colonial empire French colonial empire The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
Austria-Korea Treaty of 1892		1892
Belgium-Korea Treaty of 1901 Belgium-Korea Treaty of 1901 The Belgium-Korea Treaty of 1901 was negotiated between representatives of Belgium and the Empire of Korea.-Background:In 1876, Korea established a trade treaty with Japan after Japanese ships approached Ganghwado and threatened to fire on the Korean capital city...		1901
Denmark-Korea Treaty of 1902 Denmark-Korea Treaty of 1902 The Denmark-Korea Treaty of 1902 was negotiated between representatives of Denmark and the Empire of Korea.-Background:In 1876, Korea established a trade treaty with Japan after Japanese ships approached Ganghwado and threatened to fire on the Korean capital city...		1902
Japan-Korea Treaty of 1904		1904	Empire of Japan
Japan-Korea Protocol of August 1904		1904	Empire of Japan
Japan-Korea Protocol of April 1905		1905	Empire of Japan
Japan-Korea Protocol of August 1905		1905	Empire of Japan
Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 (Eulsa Treaty Eulsa Treaty The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905, also known as the Eulsa Treaty or Japan–Korea Protectorate Treaty, was made between the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1905. Negotiations were concluded on November 17, 1905.... )		1905	Empire of Japan
Japan-Korea Treaty of 1907		1907	Empire of Japan
Japan-Korea Treaty of 1910		1910	Empire of Japan

Alternative viewpoints

Writing in the Hong Kong Law Journal, Peter Wesley-Smith suggests that many of these treaties were signed by participants acting ultra vires

Ultra vires

Ultra vires is a Latin phrase meaning literally "beyond the powers", although its standard legal translation and substitute is "beyond power". If an act requires legal authority and it is done with such authority, it is...

of their legal authority, which should have made those treaties illegitimate.

Writing in the Yale Law Journal, March 1972, Lung-chu Chen and W. M. Reisman argued that the proclamation by China in 1941 that all treaties with Japan were abrogated was devoid of any legality and effect in international law. As supporting evidence, they refer to the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, art. 43. However, the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties did not come into force until after 1980 and only covered treaties concluded after the entry into force of the Convention.
Moreover, they note that "title" to Taiwan territory vested in Japan at the time of, and/or because of, the Treaty of Shimonoseki, as the language of the Treaty clearly indicated. Such title, insofar as it is title, ceases to be a bilateral contractual relationship and becomes a real relationship in international law. Though contract may be a modality for transferring title, title is not a contractual relationship. Professor Y. Frank Chiang, writing in the Fordham International Law Journal in 2004, expanded upon this analysis to state that there are no international law principles which can serve to validate a unilateral proclamation to abrogate (or revoke) a territorial treaty, whether based on a charge of being "unequal," or due to a subsequent "aggression" of the other party to the treaty, or any other reason.

Other uses

Recently, the term "unequal treaty" has been used by the RESPECT leader George Galloway

George Galloway

George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...

and the then Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...

leader Menzies Campbell

Menzies Campbell

Sir Walter Menzies "Ming" Campbell, CBE, QC, MP is a British Liberal Democrat politician and advocate, and a retired sprinter. He is the Member of Parliament for North East Fife, and was the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2 March 2006 until 15 October 2007.Campbell held the British record...

to refer to the 2003 UK–US extradition treaty

Extradition Act 2003

The Extradition Act 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It came into force on 1 January 2004 and all import and export extradition requests submitted or received from this date are covered by the Act...

.

The 1903 Cuban–American Treaty, which granted the United States a perpetual lease of Guantanamo Bay, is seen as an "unequal treaty" by Professor Alfred de Zayas.

The American annexation of Hawaii in 1898 was an example of an "unequal treaty doctrine" and its consequences.

Overview

Select list of unequal treaties

Alternative viewpoints

Other uses

See also