China–India relations major economies in the world. Growth in diplomatic and economic influence has increased the significance of their bilateral relationship. Cultural and economic relations between China and India date back to ancient times. The Silk Road not only served as a major trade route between India and China, but is also credited for facilitating the spread of Buddhism from India to East Asia. During the 19th century, China's growing opium trade with the East India Company triggered the First and Second Opium Wars. During World War II, India and China both played a crucial role in halting the progress of Imperial
An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China commercial success of his illustrations of the Macartney Mission. With the increasing demand of tea in Britain the pressure on trade and economy grew, causing British accounts on China to be more critical and less appreciative. Fellow crewmembers of the Macartney Mission such as Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet published later reports on the Embassy describing the experience as overall negative. This can partly be explained as a reaction to the British frustration with the trading relation to China. The Serjeant-Major Samuel Holmes published his account on the Macartney Mission with the same publisher W. Bulmer & Co in 1798