To what extent was China's failure to effectively deal with the West up to 1842 a consequence of its traditional attitude to foreign states?

China's failure to effectively deal with the West up to1842 is largely attributed to its traditional attitude of foreign inferiority. The Chinese had an innate and a deeply ingrained belief that they were the superior nation. For over two thousand years, China was consumed by their own self-importance in the world, fueled essentially by their early philosophy of being at the centre of the world, their self-imposed isolation and their economic and social success during …

…incipally stemmed from a philosophy of an innate superiority, their self-imposed isolation and the success of the Tang Dynasty. The less successful economic and social development in foreign states contributed to China's strong belief of superiority. As a result, the Chinese also saw the West as inferior. China's traditional attitude towards foreign states along with, the differing Chinese and Western systems of trade, diplomacy and jurisdiction made the development of an effective relationship virtually impossible.