China has «annexed» the Russian half of the Great Ussuri Island on new maps

The Chinese state website «Cartographic Service of Standard Maps» published a new set of geographical maps for 2023, on which the Great Ussuri Island became completely Chinese, the Regnum agency reported.

In 2004, the delimitation of the border between Russia and China was carried out, according to which one island was transferred to the PRC, and the Big Ussuri Island was divided between the countries. Russia has 180 sq. km left, and China has received a total of more than 300 sq. km. Andrey Ostrovsky, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, says:

«As for the second Tarabarov Island, it was transferred to China. And if for some reason the Chinese attributed the entire Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island to China, then the Foreign Ministry should deal with this issue accordingly,» the sinologist explained.

Another expert on China, director of the HSE Center for Integrated European and International Studies, member of the Russian Council on International Affairs Vasily Kashin hopes that this is a technical error, and it is nothing more than a misunderstanding.:

«We need to look at a large large-scale map. What was given on that site are small-scale maps, which usually do not show changes in borders, since the entire area of Bolshoy Ussuriysky is about 300 square kilometers.»

Official Chinese resources mention an agreement on the division of the island and the demarcation of the border. This is a mistake or a new attempt to remind about their old claims, the Foreign Ministry should sort it out.

India, unlike China, is a democratic country with a rotating government. Experts say that the government of India, which recognizes Aksaychin as Chinese, will not remain in power for a long time.

It is hard to believe in a technical error on the part of the cartographic service. The disclaimer on the same website says that the map is based on the national standards for the design of the borders of China and other countries of the world. It is used for media, advertising, book illustrations, display backgrounds. Public maps are created based on it.

The Indian Foreign Ministry has already expressed the usual protest. There has been no reaction from the Russian capital yet.

Everything is clear with the Hindus: China did not recognize the transfer of the state of Arunachal Pradesh to India by the British colonial authorities, and continues to do so to this day. Then the British drew a border line between India and Burma (the McMahon line), but the Chinese did not agree with this. There is another disputed territory between the two largest countries in the world — Aksaychin. It went to China during the partition, but India still objects to this.