A Study on Sino-Russian Approaches to the Solvation of Disputes over Bol’shoy Ussuriyskiy Island

• Main Authors: Hsu, Kai Lin, 徐凱琳
• Other Authors: Wang, Ding Shu
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/20944352855785530508

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 中國大陸研究英語碩士學程(IMCS) === 102 === Sino-Russian relations began in the 16th century when the Russian Empire expanded its territory toward Far East. Border disputes between China and Russia began specifically in 1652 when the Qing Empire and Russian Empire started to share a common border. Sino-Russian border was a legacy of various treaties between the Qing Dynasty and Russian Empire. By Treaty of Aigun and Treaty of Beijing, Russia gained over one million square km (400,000 square mile) of territory in Manchuria at China's expense, and Russia took another 500,000 square km in the western regions of China from several other treaties. These treaties have long been regarded by Chinese as unequal treaties, and the issue partially arose again with the Sino-Soviet split, with tensions eventually leading to division-scale military clashes along the border in 1969. Damansky, or Zhenbao Island along the Ussuri River, was the site of the 1969 Damansky Island incident. In 2004, China and Russia signed a treaty about islands of Bol’shoy Ussuriyskiy and Tarabarov Island near Khabarovsk, along the junction of the Amur and Ussurii rivers. The two islands are referred to collectively in Chinese as Heixiazi, although the smaller Tarabarov is sometimes called Yinlong. According to the treaty, Russia returns Tarabarov and approximately 50% of Bolshoi Ussuriiskii to China. This study explores why Russia and China solve this dispute peacefully.