A IMPORTÂNCIA DE MACAU PARA O COMÉRCIO DA EAST INDIA COMPANY NA CHINA E AS RELAÇÕES ANGLO-PORTUGUESAS NO ENCLAVE NA SEGUNDA METADE DO SÉCULO XVIII十八世紀下半葉澳門在東印度公司對華貿易中的重要性以及在飛地的葡英關係
The article argues that, in the second half of the eighteenth century, Macau functioned as a decisive infrastructure for the East India Company’s China Trade by providing an operational space in which the opium traffic—necessary to obtain silver destined for the purchase of tea—was articulated with...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
April 2009
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40030/3614 |
| Summary: | The article argues that, in the second half of the eighteenth century, Macau functioned as a decisive infrastructure for the East India Company’s China Trade by providing an operational space in which the opium traffic—necessary to obtain silver destined for the purchase of tea—was articulated with the strategies and interests of the enclave’s authorities and merchants. The author analyses how the British presence and activity, initially mediated by private agents (country traders, interlopers, and supercargoes) operating “under” Portuguese permissions and networks, conditioned the local economy, generated competitive tensions, and shaped Anglo-Portuguese relations surrounding the control of trade.
Methodologically, the study is based on the cross-referencing of English, Chinese, and Portuguese sources, making it possible to reconstruct negotiation practices, intermediation mechanisms, and the effects of Chinese imperial policies which, although prohibitive, proved ineffective in the face of the lucrative and persistent character of illegal trade.
As results, the article demonstrates that the maintenance of the enclave—especially in contexts prior to the relocations and reconfigurations of British traffic—was essential for the interdependence between the Company and private traders, reinforcing Macau’s centrality in the clandestine circulation that sustained the acquisition of tea until the escalation of conflicts associated with the Opium War. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |