The Bowring Treaty is the name given to an agreement signed on 18 April 1855 between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Siam that liberalized foreign trade in Siam.
The treaty was signed by five Siamese plenipotentiaries and by Sir John Bowring, Governor of Hong Kong and Britain's envoy.
A previous treaty had been signed between Siam and the United Kingdom in 1826, and the new treaty elaborated and liberalized trade rules and regulations[1] by creating a new system of imports and exports.
The treaty allowed free trade by foreigners in Bangkok, as foreign trade had previously been subject to heavy royal taxes.[2] The treaty also allowed the establishment of a British consulate in Bangkok and guaranteed its full extraterritorial powers, and allowed Englishmen to own land in Siam.