British Policy Burma and China Geographically, Burma lies in a position of a natural trade rout and strategic centralized hub between two very desirable European trade locations, China and India. As, and independent monarchy, with heavy Chinese and Indian influences throughout the beginning of the colonial period its political leanings, and the pride of its monarchy provided a situation of resistance from the major European trade countries, Portugal, the Dutch, the French and Brittan (Murphy 256, 314) though attempts were made by both the Dutch and the British to establish trade stations and routs in strategic locations in the country, success was limited until the British successfully colonized Burma in the early 1800s and made it a principal of India, one of Brittan's strongholds. The whole of the history of Burma is marked by years of strategic conflict over control between competing interests including all the major players from the West as well as their historical rival China. (Murphy 314-315) The monarchy of Burma even attempted to play trade nations against each other by making trade deals with rivals, in the case of Brittan the Burmese monarch Min made a trade deal with France in 1873. (315)

When the French and the British were both courting Alaungpaya they supported now the Burmans, and now the Peguers; they occasionally made a common front and often transferred their allegiance -- and their arms -- to whichever seemed to be the winning...

Which brought with them massive economic expansion, that benefited the British and some high ranking Chinese immigrants and virtually made the Burmese a minority in their own nation. (315) After the Indian connection to Burma became difficult for the British to continue and nationalism became a force to be reckoned with the British government made Burma an independent colony in 1937 and Burma was granted independence ten years later. (315)
Policy differences between Brittan's dealings with Burma as apposed to China are largely a matter of scale, as the Chinese government was relatively strong and well organized, while Burma, a much smaller nation had what many called an antiquated monarchy, that was not as well networked and organized as that of China, even though China did eventually fall to colonial influence, it was only after many years of isolationist resistance. (314, 317) The Opium wars of 1839-1842, resulted in China being opened to trade from many competing Western interests, including France, Brittan and the United States, and to some degree China was a…