Russian-Chinese border. Geographical position and borders of China River between China and Russia

The Russian-Chinese border took place in 2005. As a result of the interstate border in the center of the Amur River, China received a number of territories with a total area of ​​337 square kilometers: a plot of land in the area of ​​Bolshoy Island (the upper reaches of the Argun River in the Chita Region) and two plots in the area of ​​Tarabarov and Bolshoy Ussuriysky Islands in the area of ​​the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri rivers . These lands were not inhabited and were little used (judging by the fact that the satellite photo in Google Maps shows that there are few buildings there), due to swampiness, now they are not better used. The main part of these territories was the western tip of the Big Ussuri Island on the Amur River opposite the mouth of the Ussuri River. The island has a territory of 327 to 350 km², depending on the season.

On October 14, 2004, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao signed an addendum to the agreement on the Russian-Chinese state border, according to which the transfer took place.

The chairman of the Russian part of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development, Leonid Drachevsky, said that the transfer of the islands would settle "the last moment that overshadows relations between Russia and China." According to Natalia Narochnitskaya, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, "the cession of territory is very small, and the importance of strategic relations with China is obvious."

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Konstantin Kosachev noted that the signing of the agreement had two alternatives: to demand from China all the disputed territories or leave the situation unchanged and with no prospects to agree in the foreseeable future (which, in his opinion, is extremely dangerous for Russia, since how it carries the risk of a conflict flaring up). Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that we are not talking about territorial concessions: the islands did not belong to anyone legally and in the international legal sense, and when the agreement on the border between the USSR and China was concluded in 1991, the ownership of the three islands was also not determined.

Representatives of the Communist Party opposed the agreement. In particular, Viktor Ilyukhin said: “They are giving away 337 square kilometers! This is a very large territory, there are summer cottages of Russian citizens on it, for which no one says anything about compensation. The Khabarovsk Territory Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation organized a rally against the transfer of the islands.

see also

Sources

Literature

• Supplementary agreement between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on the Russian-Chinese state border in its Eastern part dated October 14, 2004.
• Federal Law of the Russian Federation of May 31, 2005 N 52-FZ "On Ratification of the Supplementary Agreement between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on the Russian-Chinese State Border in its Eastern Part"

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China is the largest country in Asia in terms of area. And in terms of the number of people living, the People's Republic of China is ahead of the rest of the planet. Therefore, the fact that China borders on many other countries is not surprising.

China and its borders

The south of the country has borders with the following countries:

• the State of Vietnam;
• Myanmar (or Burma);
• Laos;
• Butane;
• Nepal;
• And India.

In the North, China is adjacent to such states as:

• Russia;
• Mongolia.

The western direction is limited to the following territories:

• Pakistan;
• Afghanistan;
• Kazakhstan;
• Tajikistan;
• Kyrgyzstan.

The eastern borders of China are in contact with the lands of North Korea. In total, 14 countries are considered border countries for China.

Features of Chinese borders

All land borders of China are approximately 22,000 kilometers. China has the largest border line with Russia.

With Russia, the Chinese government regularly has land disputes. So in 2012, because of 17 hectares of land, it almost came to an armed conflict. But the two powers still managed to agree peacefully.

The historical border - the Great Wall of China lies in the North of the country. This structure was built to protect China from the invasion of the Mongols. And today, a bright and famous landmark still fulfills its boundary role.

The water boundary line in the PRC stretches across the waters of the Yellow Sea, the China and South China Seas, and the Gulf of Korea. The border along the coastline is approximately 18 thousand kilometers without island territories, and 32 thousand kilometers of the combined coastline with islands.

The attitude of the Chinese to their borders

Since the PRC is a fairly densely populated country, the issue of expanding borders there is quite acute. If you look at ancient geographical maps, you can see that China used to have much more land than it does today. For example, Siberia was previously under the jurisdiction of the Chinese.

And, of course, the Chinese people are trying with all their might to win disputes over certain islands and lands. But for now, the situation with these territories remains the same. Although the Chinese still managed to take a small part of the mountain range from Tajikistan.

But this was a defect of the Tajik diplomats. And these lands were practically not used for living. In general, China takes the protection of its borders quite seriously. This power has a large army, a significant part of which is border troops.

Today, China's economy is at a high level. The state successfully competes with countries such as the United States and Japan. Should we expect military conflicts with China over territories? The answer will depend on the course chosen by the governments of countries bordering each other. So far, all land disputes have been resolved peacefully. Although several centuries ago, fierce wars were waged precisely because of the borders in China, which they managed to end only after the creation of a strong and centralized state.

The Land of the Rising Sun is not only the largest neighboring Russian Federation state, but also the most important economic and political partner. China's border with Russia is the longest of all that these countries have.

Geographic data

The total length of Russia's border with China exceeds four thousand kilometers. Most of it is occupied by watershed lines. They pass along the rivers flowing through both territories. And the land part, with a total length of just over 650 km, is conditionally divided into two sections: to the right of Mongolia and to the left. The nature of the terrain on them is radically different.

In the west, the border runs along the high Altai. On the eastern side, it stretches in a continuous series of frontier pillars and outposts along the lowlands and plains around the great rivers, in Primorye it again passes along the mountain ranges: Border, Black Mountains. To consolidate on the eastern edge near the Pacific Ocean, a fortress was built in 1749. Blagoveshchensk later grew up in its place.

Eastern border

For many reasons, the dividing line between the two powerful powers in the current situation has many geographical and political inconsistencies, the origins of which go back to the distant past. Currently, this line of the state border between Russia and China passes through the following territories:

1. Amur region - in the northwest.
2. Khabarovsk Territory - in the northeast.
3. Primorsky Krai - Far Eastern outskirts near the ocean.
4. Jewish Autonomous Okrug - a relatively small area in the center of the region.

Tight relations between the two countries began several centuries ago. The process of advancement of Russian pioneers deep into the Asian part of the mainland and further, to access to the sea, has been continuous since the seventeenth century. Then the Russians settled in the vicinity of the Amur River, which is the most important water transport stream.

Endless disagreements over the possession of this territory began almost immediately. The problem of establishing the exact land border between Russia and China has not been finally settled to this day. For more than three centuries, about forty different documents on this subject have been adopted. At first, during Russian Empire, the disagreements were of a sluggish nature. China was actually under the control of England. The countries successively adopted the Nerchinsk, Beijing and several other agreements on the delimitation of disputed lands.

Conflicts of the 20th century

Later, the Soviet government returned to this issue several times. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Japanese were already in charge in China. All territorial conflicts were resolved with them in a peaceful or not very way. After the Second World War and the establishment of the communist regime in China, the border transfer debate Russia with China to any side. In the 1960s, Chinese claims to the Amur lands resumed. In general, since the second half of the last century and up to the present time, the propaganda of the annexation of the southeastern Russian territories has been intensifying in the PRC.

Disputed island territories

The bloodiest clash occurred in March 1969 at the mouth of the river. Ussuri in the Amur region. Damansky Island, located on the Soviet side of the Russian-Chinese border, became the subject of contention. Prior to that, during several winter months, there were numerous provocative actions of Chinese citizens to seize this island without permission. All of them, following the strictest order of the command, were solved by the Soviet troops without the use of weapons. However, in March, there were two real armed conflicts started by Chinese troops. Then 58 of our border guards were killed and about 100 more were wounded.

Losses among the Chinese military were greater: up to three hundred people, the exact figure is still not known. Only in 2005 was the process of complete demarcation of the eastern part of the borders completed. However, the issue of the territorial affiliation of two neighboring islands - Tarabarov and Bolshoy Ussuriysky - has not yet been resolved. It is regularly voiced at meetings of the leadership of both countries, various agreements and treaties are signed. But so far the parties have not found a solution that would suit everyone. In fact, migration, resettlement and economic activity of the extremely large and active Chinese population to the territory of the Russian Federation - this is a fait accompli.

Western frontier

A tiny segment of the border between Russia and China, less than 55 km long on the Ukok plateau, the southern outskirts of the Altai Republic, is unique. The territories of four countries converge here: Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. Once upon a time, the map looked different: the lands of Mongolia belonged to the PRC, and the Kazakh steppes until recently were part of the USSR.

The political transformations that have taken place over the past decades have pushed the boundaries and forced the maps to be redrawn. Now that we have become neighbors, the section of Russia's border with China is of great importance for the establishment of relations between all states. In addition, the current political, economic and military interests of our countries are finding more and more points of contact.

The problems of establishing a system of transport and communications are in the first place in the region. Now cargo transportation is carried out mainly in transit through Kazakhstan. The creation of a direct corridor for the delivery of goods is under development between representatives of China and Russia. For this interval, the borders have already been agreed upon by the countries and delimitation has been carried out on maps.

Transport links in border areas

Unlike the western part, in the east, transport links between the two countries have been functioning stably for a long time. The multi-kilometer TransSib railway line runs through several Russian regions. It crosses the land border between Russia and China in Primorsky Krai, where it joins the CER.

This branch was laid jointly by Russia and China in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth, her fate was rewritten many times, and, in the end, she went to the Chinese side. So in this strategically important point, the geographical position of the demarcation marks between the two states has also changed.

German journalist Matthias Schepp traveled along the Russian-Chinese border from Transbaikalia to the Amur Region. Most of all, he was shocked by the history of the village of Mirnaya in the Chita region, located near the border with China. Here, literary post-apocalyptic scenarios have come true.

To reach Mirna one must have a lot of time and patience. For four days, the train goes to Lake Baikal, then another 1,000 kilometers to the regional city of Chita in the hinterland, and then another 300 kilometers from it to the southeast - towards China.

Mirnaya does not live up to its name. Nothing in this village breathes peace and tranquility. Packs of feral dogs roam among the ruined buildings, long winters have practically destroyed the roads, and indifference is seen in the eyes of the few remaining local residents. Meanwhile, in Soviet times, Mirnaya was a well-groomed garrison town with a cinema, kindergartens and parks. Previously, a motorized rifle unit was based here, which was oriented against China.

After 1991, the army left these places, and with it most of the inhabitants left. Those who remained for one reason or another were forced to live in new conditions. First, from the panel houses where the officers lived, they tore out the frames along with the windows and sold them either on the highway or in Chita itself. Then pipes, parts of heating systems were sawn out and handed over for scrap metal, which was exported to China. Then the turn came to the brick houses, which began to be dismantled into bricks. Panel houses stand in the village like skeletons, gnawed by unknown predators - a sign of a country rolling towards sunset.


“My brother Vadim died in one of the old houses,” says local resident Irina. “Six other people died with him.

According to her, they were blocked by a wall of a brick building, which they manually dismantled. Irina herself lives in the neighboring village of Bezrechnaya and works in the Maria cafe, which is located on the highway leading to China. Locals gather in the cafe in the evenings and discuss local news over vodka, beer and tea.

If in Mirnaya the apocalypse has already come a long time ago, then in Bezrechnaya it is on the threshold. Local resident Galina even wrote a letter to Dmitry Medvedev, in which she asked the President of the Russian Federation to take care of the region.

We have no doctors, pharmacies, jobs. There’s nothing here at all,” she says.

713 people live in Bezrechnaya. Last year 27 people died and no one was born.

If things go on like this, then we will have to become guest workers in China, or vice versa - to work for the Chinese in our own country, - Galina predicts. In general, the topic of China in the conversations of local residents takes first place. And although the official Kremlin has little concern about this, the 3,645-kilometer border - one of the largest land borders in the world - between Russia and China should inspire some concern.


According to Shepp, despite the unfavorable climatic conditions in Siberia, it has become depopulated, and China badly needs Natural resources and land, therefore, as he believes, Beijing will peacefully swallow all the territories it needs in the future. He recalls an 1891 dictum by philosopher Konstantin Leontiev in which he cites two possible factors for Russia's demise - either from Chinese aggression or from merger with a pan-European federation.

But so far, cooperation between China and Russia is based on a simple model - the Kremlin acts as a supplier of raw materials, and the Celestial Empire - consumer goods, the so-called "consumer goods". Shepp also notes that Russia has become the blacksmith who forged a sword for Beijing - after all, the Russian Federation has been supplying this country with its latest military developments for a long time. Now China has learned to produce them itself and no longer needs the "help" of its northern neighbor.

Every year, the import of complex products from China to the Russian Federation - pipes, rolled metal, machine tools, drilling rigs, cars, trucks, electronics - is also growing. The Chinese, without too much publicity, are acquiring enterprises in the border regions of Russia, for example, according to Shepp, they bought a former tank repair plant in Chita and are investing tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in buying up land.


The German journalist's surprise at the fact that China is beginning to economically dominate the border regions of Russia can only be caused by poor awareness. Indeed, back in 2009, the Kremlin and Beijing concluded a strategic agreement that the Celestial Empire would create its own mining and processing enterprises in Siberia, take over the entire development of several hundred mineral deposits, and build its settlements in Siberia. At the same time, the labor force will be imported exclusively from China, and the Chinese will receive extraterritorial rights and their own police.

In the most complex set of foreign policy problems of our country by the second half of the 20th century. for the Far East, the most significant was the question of border with China. The Chinese side did not limit itself to clarifying the border on the ground, and since the 1950s. again raised the question of the unequal nature of all treaties between tsarist Russia and China. Territorial claims extended to the Amur region, Primorye and a number of other regions.

On August 14, 1945, representatives of the USSR and Kuomintang China signed an agreement on friendship and alliance for a period of 30 years. The goal of the Soviet leadership was to regain influence in Manchuria.

After the formation of the PRC, new treaties were concluded. Relations between the USSR and the PRC became very warm. border with China was almost open, in some areas border outposts were disbanded. In the 50s. more than 10,000 Soviet specialists helped the Chinese people build hundreds of industrial enterprises, and more than 22,000 Chinese envoys studied in the USSR.

After Stalin's death, relations between our countries deteriorated. The border with China was closed. Trade between the USSR and the PRC actually ceased. Since 1963, our countries have not exchanged tourist groups, and even the ships of the Amur River Shipping Company have not made voyages to China.

With regard to the USSR, a campaign began to alienate the "disputed areas". The press raised the question of the inequality of the treaties of the emperors of the Qing dynasty with the Europeans, including the Aigun and Peking treaties.

Increasing cases of border violations and an official statement by the PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the disputed borders led to the Beijing consultations in 1964. The Chinese delegation announced 1,540 thousand km 2 that Russia had seized from China before the revolution. But China makes a "generous concession" and limits itself to claiming "only" 35,000 km2. On the eastern section of the Soviet-Chinese border there were about 35 thousand km 2 of disputed land. These are the islands along the Amur. Ussuri, among which on the Kazakevicheva channel near Khabarovsk: Bolshoi Ussuriysky and Tarabarov, with a total area of ​​350 km 2.

The parties agreed that along the Amur and Ussuri, the border between Russia and China should run along the middle of the main fairway, clearly marked on pilot charts, fixed on the ground by coastal and floating navigation signs. The delegation of the USSR, yielding numerous islands lying behind the line of a smooth fairway, counted on drawing the border along the Amur channel, otherwise the border would have passed right under Khabarovsk.

More than half of the eastern section of the border, previously disputed, was agreed upon, but the issue of three small sections, incl. in the area of ​​the Amur channel, we decided to consider later.

China's testing of its nuclear weapons in 1964 and the beginning of the "cultural revolution" made it more aggressive foreign policy. Citizens and servicemen of the People's Republic of China went out to the Soviet islands hundreds of times, started fights with Soviet border guards. In 1969, tragic events broke out in the area of ​​Damansky Island on the river. Ussuri.

Having received a decisive rebuff from the Soviet troops, the Chinese agreed to closed negotiations in 1969-1991. As a result of the consent of the USSR to the passage of the border with China along the fairway of the Amur and Ussuri, 90% of the eastern section of the Chinese border was agreed upon. On May 16, 1991, in Moscow, representatives of the USSR and the PRC signed an agreement on the border, confirmed by an agreement between the Russian Federation and the PRC in 1996.

The demarcation of the border began, i.e. its specific definition on the ground. After the collapse of the USSR, the western section of the border with a length of about 55 km, located in the Altai mountains, the issue of the Amur channel has been resolved.