The Treaty of Nanking was an unequal treaty between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of China to end the First Opium War (1839–1842), signed on 29 August 1842.

Unequal treaties refer to a series of treaties signed during the 19th and early 20th centuries, between China and various foreign powers. The agreements, often reached after a military defeat or a threat of military invasion, contained one-sided terms, requiring China to cede land, pay reparations, open treaty ports, give up tariff autonomy, legalise opium import, and grant extraterritorial privileges to foreign citizens.