The primary reason for the Opium Wars, which occurred between Britain and Qing Dynasty China in the mid-19th century, was Britain's desire to balance trade deficits with China. The British had a growing demand for Chinese goods like tea, porcelain, and silk, but China maintained a favorable trade balance, accepting few imports. To address this, British traders began illegally exporting opium from India to China, leading to widespread addiction and societal issues. Chinese authorities attempted to suppress the opium trade, resulting in military confrontations that escalated into the First Opium War (1839-1842) and the Second Opium War (1856-1860), fundamentally altering China's relations with the West.