unequal treaty; coercive treaty imposed by force
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
treaty with unequal rights and obligations between contracting parties
technicalGeneral legal and diplomatic term referring to any agreement where one party has significantly more rights or fewer obligations than the other.
This contract is considered an unequal treaty.
In international trade, one must avoid signing discriminatory unequal treaties.
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These clauses turned the agreement into an unequal treaty.
noun
unequal treaty imposed by an imperialist power on a weaker nation under duress
historicalHistorically refers to treaties forced upon China (e.g., Treaty of Nanking) and other nations by Western imperialist powers and Japan during the 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized by extraterritoriality, indemnities, and territorial concessions.
The Treaty of Nanking signed in 1842 was the first unequal treaty in modern Chinese history.
These unequal treaties severely damaged China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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Abolishing unequal treaties was an important goal of modern Chinese diplomacy.