During the European powers' attempt to control the world, the Chinese Empire was not easy to conquer as it had a powerful army and government like the Ottoman Empire. Its large size became an advantage, making it an elusive target for colonization.
Was China colonized by any country? Yes, China was colonized directly by Britain, Portugal, Russia, and China. Many other countries had control over trade in much of China.
British Empire could not colonize China because of following reasons. China was too big, and populous. British Empire did not have enough power and troops to conquer a nation of 300–400 million people.
China was big in land mass, big in population, and big in government. There was no way for any one nation to dismantle the Chinese Empire.
・Japan was in the Warring States period, and the potential for war among the feudal lords was substantial. Therefore, countries like Spain simply abandoned the idea of invasion. In fact, feudal lords throughout Japan had a large number of troops and a substantial number of firearms.
When European colonial powers threatened in the 19th and 20th centuries, Thailand managed to escape as the only country not to fall under colonial rule. This was due to a compromise between the French and British to keep it as a neutral territory between them.
Ultimately, of all the countries in the world, only one consistently appears on every list of countries that have never been colonized: Japan.
If there is no wind then it can't reach that place. Australia is located south of the equator, below the “equatorial calm zone” where only weak winds existed. It is a bit more difficult for ships to go across the equator due to only weak winds.
China. Like the Ottoman Empire, Qing China was too large for any single European power to simply grab. Instead, Britain and France got a foothold through trade, which they then expanded through the First and Second Opium Wars.
China was isolated from other civilizations because of its geography. The high Tibet-Qinghai Plateau made it difficult to communicate with civilizations to the southwest of China. The dry Gobi and Taklimakan Deserts made it difficult to communicate with civilizations to the northwest of China.
INTRODUCTION: Colonialism first stepped into China after the victory of the British Navy in the first opium war (1839-42). This war is marked in history as the first in which steam-driven ships were used as the main force (Spence, J. D. 2013: 157).
United Kingdom (Britain) The British Empire was the largest of its kind in history, and once covered about one quarter of all the land on Earth.
In the Treaty of Tientsin, the Chinese accepted British demands to open more ports, navigate the Yangtze River, legalise the opium trade and have diplomatic representation in Beijing. During the conflict, the British occupied the Kowloon Peninsula, where the flat land was valuable training and resting ground.
The Chinese Empire is commonly seen as economically inferior to the European imperial powers. However, for much of its history, imperial China was vastly wealthier and commanded the world economy.
Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931. By 1937 Japan controlled large sections of China, and war crimes against the Chinese became commonplace.
The first Dutch ship arrived in 1600, and in 1609 the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, or VOC) established a trading factory in Hirado. Following the expulsion of the Portuguese in 1639, the Dutch became the only Europeans allowed to remain in Japan.
China was too big and possesed enough resourses to develop in his own country. Chinese rulers had closer enemies such as the Mongols, Huns , Manchurians and etc. The emperors after 1566 were too proud to think about colonizing others.
In 1937, Japan launched its full-scale invasion of China and its well-equipped troops overran KMT defenders in northern and coastal China. The alliance of CCP and KMT was in name only.
Chinese resisted European imperialism through war, rebellion, not purchasing foreign-made products, and American protection. China had a wealth of natural resources that the European countries desired but China did not seek many European goods, which resulted in a trade imbalance between Europe and China.
Trade and investment
China is Australia's largest two-way trading partner in goods and services, accounting for nearly one third (32.2 per cent) of our trade with the world.
The theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia claims that early Portuguese navigators were the first Europeans to sight Australia between 1521 and 1524, well before the arrival of Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1606 on board the Duyfken who is generally considered to be the first European discoverer.
Makasar traded with Aboriginal people for trepang (sea cucumber), which they boiled down, dried on their boats and traded with China where it is still used for food and medicine. The Makasar did not settle in Arnhem Land but they did have an influence on the Yolŋu people's society and ritual.
Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States. In fact, the 'unincorporated territory' of Puerto Rico continues to maintain the dubious distinction of being the world's oldest existing colony.
Ans. The last remaining colony in the world is the island of Puerto Rico. The territory has a severely wretched economy. This region is the most densely populated on earth and has only limited political independence.
The majority of the European powers, as a result, owned either colonies or dependencies, while Russia became the unique country that had both at the same time. In sum, the Soviet Union inherited a complex history—in which Russia was conqueror and colonizer as well as conquered and colonized.