There are three approaches among the Chinese regarding which territories of Russia should be transferred to China. Those who refer to history believe that 1.54 million square kilometers of Russia's territory are China's historical lands, and Beijing should return these lands. The second opinion is that Russia's 3-4 million square kilometers of territory should belong to China. Supporters of the radical approach generally advocate for the entire Far Eastern Federal District of Russia, with an area of approximately 7 million square kilometers, to be transferred to China.
I should note that China's territorial claim against Russia came to the agenda immediately after the People's Republic of China was established. China's first communist leader Mao Zedong discussed the return of these lands to China during his 1949 visit to Moscow with the then leader of the USSR, Joseph Stalin, but received a very firm rejection.
The great Deng Xiaoping, who saved 800 million people in China from hunger, said during negotiations with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze in Beijing near the end of the 20th century, when he received a categorical refusal on his proposal to give the disputed border territories to China: “You now reject our request concerning a small territory. But it is known from history that the lands belonging to China are far more than these territories. You do not concede a small area; Moscow should know the Chinese can wait patiently.”
China's current leader Xi Jinping, during his 2014 visit to Berlin, was gifted a very notable map by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. It was the "first accurate map of China" compiled in Germany in 1735. In that map, Russia's current territories such as the Far East, Tuva, Amur, Siberia, and the South China Sea with all its islands were included within the borders of the Chinese state.
The second map given to Xi Jinping by Angela Merkel depicts those territories within Russia’s borders but in red color to appear different. Merkel’s move not only increased China's admiration for Germany but also rekindled old hostilities with Russia. At that time, a lead article in one of China’s newspapers stated regarding this event: “We have been carrying the banner of struggle against imperialism (i.e., the West) for nearly a hundred years, but in the end, it turns out that it’s not East imperialism (i.e., the West) that occupied our land.” Another article said this map is truly a treasure. “It is a precious gift that carries deep meaning! This map has everything we need.”
The criminal war launched by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, aiming to restore the Russian Empire and continuing for about 46 months, has weakened Russia so much that its disintegration is now considered a matter of time. Therefore, in China, the position of those who claim about 40 percent of Russian territory, the 7 million square kilometers of the Far Eastern Federal District, has begun to strengthen.
An article published on 163.com, belonging to China's "NetEase" media corporation and one of the world's most popular sites, states that if Russia breaks apart, the 7 million square kilometers of the Far East should not be lost. “This land in the Far East is a treasure for China but a burden for Russia. In terms of resources, everything China needs—diamonds, gold, and forests—is there and is enough for decades.”
All peoples whose historical lands are under Russian occupation are preparing for the day the Eastern empire collapses, so they can seize the historical opportunity to reclaim their lands.
Xaqani Jafarli,
political scientist
