From the 18th century until the early 20th century, China and Japan had similar views regarding Western penetration, but both countries responded in different ways. Subverting the colonial powers, both countries had to adapt their traditional cultures, economy, and political structures to keep pace with Westernization. In the past, China was always hesitant about foreign occupation and wanted to keep it out as much as possible. During the Qing Dynasty, trade was strongly discouraged. China failed to keep up with industrialization as much as the Europeans because they believed their country was already prosperous and productive with its large workforce producing everything they needed. Furthermore, natural resources for industrialization were lacking (Zheng, lecture). Britain persistently tried to persuade China to expand its trade with it, sending Lord Macartney to the emperor's court to discuss this expansion, but the emperor refused all requests (Cheng, 103). Since China had a strong culture, people from the tributary countries that China traded with began to immerse themselves in Chinese culture, while the English did not (Cheng, 105). The emperor allowed trade with other European countries, with the intent that they would adopt Chinese culture, unlike the English (Cheng,105). Since China was seen as a relatively weak country at the time, Western powers tried to impose foreign trade on it, so a major dispute ensued. China has attempted to maintain some power by attempting to prevent foreigners from entering the country's interior. At that time, opium was introduced to China as an effective solution to British trade problems (Cheng, 93). However, this caused economic problems in China... middle of paper... and nationalism in Japan after World War II (Craig, 141). Overall, Japan responded to the West by accepting their help and, in turn, allowed them to become one of the colonizers. China, on the other hand, was reluctant to let the West in, so its economy declined and its country as a whole was not as strong as Japan. Works Cited Cheng, Pei-kai, Michael E. Lestz, and Jonathan D. Spence. The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection. New York: Norton, 1999. Print.Dower, John W. Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1999. Ryūsaku Tsunoda, W. M. Theodore de Bary and Donald Keene, eds. 1958. Sources of Japanese tradition, vol.II. New York: University of Columbia Press, 131–176. Zheng, Xiaowei. “The advent of the West and the Chinese response”. April 16, 2014.