What was Germany doing when China signed the Treaty of Beijing in 1860?

In the 17th century, some German states also briefly owned colonies. The Brandenburg-African Company (Brandenburg-Africanische Kompanie) of Brandenburg (also known as the Kingdom of Prussia) received Altyn Island, the Prussian Gold Coast (later merged with the Dutch Gold Coast in present-day Ghana) and St. Thomas Island (Saint Thomas; now part of the U.S. Virgin Islands). The principality of Courland, led by the Baltic Germans, also established colonies on the islands of Tobago and St. Andrew (today's James Island, The Gambia). However, all German states failed to compete with the maritime powers of Western Europe. Likewise, the Habsburgs then ruled the Austrian provinces of the Holy Roman Empire - only Ostender-Kompanie, which it operated in the Southern Netherlands, briefly held the Coromandel Coast and the Andaman-Nicobar Islands in India (1719-1732), and later gave up the territory due to French opposition.

Germany was only unified by the continental Kingdom of Prussia in 1871, so it took the path of imperialism and fighting for colonies later than Western countries (the so-called "place under the sun"). Before 1870, the German states maintained independent political systems and goals; while Germany’s foreign policies before and after unification, including Otto von Bismarck’s policies, were focused on solving the “German question” and purely pursuing Germany’s interests in Europe. In addition, the Germans' overseas trade actually has a long history, starting as early as the Hanseatic League; the Germans also have a tradition of immigration: to Russia and Romania in the east; to North America in the west; merchants and missionaries in northern Germany are also interested in developing their careers overseas.

At the end of the 19th century, many Germans believed that gaining colonies could demonstrate national strength, and they dreamed of establishing a high seas fleet - which eventually came true and made Britain feel threatened.

Because Germany joined the fight for colonies too late, most of the world she faced had been carved up by other European powers; in some areas, decolonization had even begun, such as the American countries. The American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic Wars all accelerated American independence.