While this article puts a lot of weight in the formal displays of submission, the denial of the English ambassador in following them and the irritation that cau

While this article puts a lot of weight in the formal displays of submission, the denial of the English ambassador in following them and the irritation that caused, I cannot help thinking there could have been other reasons for the Chinese to be reserved. Considering the track record of the East India Company in conquering Bengali piece-by-piece during the decades just before this mission, which the Chinese must have been aware of, I think it's totally understandable they were wary. Which must have been the subtext in them telling that no thanks, we do not want your products and really don't want to give you a permanent foothold on the Chinese soil. The fact that the Brits kept on proceeding nevertheless, turning a large number of Chinese citizens into opium addicts while at it, kind of justifies this stance. Maybe the only mistake the Chinese made was not to start improving their military might at the earliest signs of warning, while they still had time.