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Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
Author : V. Vorobyov
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
TEN YEARS AGO, on October 14, 2004, a package of docu-
ments was signed with respect to the Russian-Chinese border on
an island section at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri rivers
and near an island in the upper reaches of the Argun River. This
brought to an end the 40-year long marathon of complicated,
hard, and intermittent negotiations on the settlement of border
issues between the two neighboring countries.
FROM THE MOMENT the negotiations were started in 1964,
the dispute centered on an island section at the confluence of the
Amur and the Ussuri. Granted, even at the most conflict-prone
periods of our relations, there were no particularly serious incidents there, let alone
armed clashes. On the other hand, because of acute disagreements, the negotiating
process often slowed down and sometimes froze on the verge of a complete stoppage.
Nor was any agreement reached after the negotiations resumed in 1987, when the parties
achieved a consensus on practically all the border issues.
Toward the beginning of the 1990s, the relations between our two countries were already
normalized and were rapidly proceeding to the phase of developing constructive coop-
eration a key element of which was the strengthening of good neighborliness.
Today, the Russian-Chinese border is perceived as not so much a dividing line as mainly
a peaceful good-neighborly line that connects the two states.
THE NEW DIRECTIVE, coordinated by both parties at the very top level, gave cause
for optimism. Nevertheless, the burden of the complexity and unconventionality of the
task was making itself felt. There were absolutely no signs of an acceptable outcome at
the time. It is important to note, however, that the negotiators were given broad leeway
to consider possible options without a deadline.
It took some time before the highly charged atmosphere of ideological confrontation
began to defuse, and first signs of coinciding standpoints began to emerge, which the
delegations were supposed to report to the higher agencies without delay. The field of
mutual understanding was gradually expanding; each move was watched personally by
the foreign ministers, who acted as a kind of a high-level monitoring team. This proce-
dure only benefited the cause, making it possible to maintain the high dynamics of the
negotiating process.
The search alternatives sometimes appeared contrasting, arousing heated debate. This,
Russian-Chinese Border Talks: A Mutually Beneficial Outcome