The Unequal Treaty Between Russia and China

The Treaty of Aigun 1858 

Aigun- After six days of negotiations, China had finally decided to sign a treaty with Russia.  On May 28, 1858, Nikolay Muravyov, the Russian representative, and Yishan, the Qing representative, both signed the Treaty of Aigun.  The Treaty of Aigun gave the Russian empire more land than from the first treaty, the Treaty of Nerchinsk, between the Russia and China in the year 1689.  The land between the Stanovoy Mounatins and the Amur River was given to the Russian empire. Resulting the modern border of Far East Russia and Northern China.  China lost more than 200,000 square miles of its land to the Russian empire.

Russia had craved for the power in the Pacific.  To accomplish this goal, they settled near the Amur River and developed a strong military post.  China had never noticed the Russian settlement in the region because the Chinese government did not do a good job governing over that part region.  The Russians took advantage of this.

By the late 19th century, the Russian military near the Amur River was strong enough to start a war with the Qing empire.  The Qing had underestimated the Russian military and failed to make them leave. China was dealing with the Taiping Rebellion and started to weaken. Nikolay Muravyov, the Russian general, knew that the Qing Dynasty did not want to handle anymore conflicts or warfare.  He saw that this was a great opportunity to threatened China to sign the treaty. The Qing had no choice but to come to an agreement with the Russian empire.  If they denied the treaty, the Russian military will attack the empire.  After all the conflicts and warfare China had gone through, they cannot afford to lose anymore.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Aigun, the Russian empire gained the left bank of the Amur River. Both Chinese and Russian ships were allowed to travel through the Amur River, the Sungari River, and the Ussuri River. Addition to that, the people who lived near those areas were allowed to trade goods with each other.
To be honest, Emperor Xianfeng(1850-1861), the emperor of the Qing Dynasty at the time, had never approved of this treaty. Emperor Xianfeng thought the Treaty of Aigun was just "temporary" treaty between China and Russia. He believed the Qing empire will eventually get their land back later in the year.