Final answer:
China's stance towards European trading practices was restrictive, as they limited trade through the Canton system and maintained a favorable balance of trade by insisting on payment in silver while rejecting most European goods. This changed after the Opium Wars, which forced China to accept 'open door' policies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that best describes China's stance towards European trading practices during the period under consideration is restrictive. Historically, China maintained a favorable balance of trade by controlling foreign access and trade through the Canton System, ensuring payment for exports in silver and rejecting most European goods. This led to a substantial silver inflow to China. However, European nations, eager to balance trade in their favor, resulted in the Opium Wars which forced China to accept 'open door' policies, thus eroding its favorable trade position.
The Canton system, initiated by the Qing dynasty, allowed only a limited and controlled trade through the southern port of Canton (Guangzhou), with European merchants subjected to Chinese laws and confined to specific quarters. This arrangement demonstrated China's deliberate measure to limit foreign influence and preserve domestic stability, while benefiting from the trade. Despite European industrial advancements, the Chinese deemed these inferior and showed little interest in European products. Opium eventually became the product that would upset the balance, as the Chinese could not refuse it, leading to increased European influence and the eventual end of China's restrictive policies after the Opium Wars.