Complementary Agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation

Dublin Core

Title

Complementary Agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation

Subject

Amur Region, Part 5

Description

After treaties in 1991 and 2001 were not able to complete define the disputed border between the Russian Federation and the Republic of China, the two states were party to the Complementary Agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on the Eastern Section of the China–Russia Boundary in 2004. The disputed territories were islands at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers. Possession of the two islands was significant for military control of the Amur region, as the Russian city of Khabarovsk is in close proximity to the disputed border. China wished for the boundary to be the channel north of the islands, resulting in China’s possession of Bolshoy Ussuriyski and Tarabarov Island. Russia insisted that, consistent with the 1860 Treaty of Beijing, the southern channel should make up the boundary, allowing for Russian possession of the islands.

Once negotiations were concluded, Tarabarov Island and part of the Abagaitu Islet were relinquished by Russia, and Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island was divided in half. The agreement was ratified in 2005, and it came into effect on October 14, 2008. In both the Russian Federation and the Republic of China, the agreement was unpopular because of the mutual loss of territory. Russian Cossacks protested the division of Bolshoy Ussuriyski Island in 2005. Media outlets in Taiwain and Hong Kong were critical of the agreement, as they felt the islands were Chinese territory forever lost to Russia. Furthermore, Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island is still claimed by Taiwan. Despite the unpopularity of the agreement, the Russian Federation and the Republic of China consider the agreement to be a success. The border between the two states is now definitively declared, and economic cooperation in the region has been increased.

Creator

Group 3

Source

Morris-Suzuki, Tessa, Morris Low, et al. East Asia Beyond the History Wars: Confronting the Ghosts of Violence. 1st ed. New York: Routledge, 2013. 31-33. Print.

Guo, Rongxing. Cross-Border Resource Management. 2nd ed. Oxford: Elsevier, 2012. 216-217. Print.

Wiegand, Krista. Enduring Territorial Disputes. 1st. ed. Athens: University of Georgia, 2011. 240-241. Print.

Picture: http://www.economist.com/node/11792951

Date

October 14, 2004

Event Item Type Metadata

Duration

2004

Event Type

Agreement

Participants

Russian Federation and Republic of China

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