This time, the Chinese side answered the question of the ownership of sovereignty over the four northern islands (the South Kuril Islands) very cleverly!
At the Foreign Ministry's press conference, a reporter asked Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian about the sovereignty of the four northern islands (the South Kuril Islands). Zhao Lijian said, "I have noted relevant reports that the issue of the South Kuril Islands is a matter of bilateral relations between Russia and Japan and should be properly resolved between the two sides. China has always maintained that the achievements of the victory in the world anti-fascist war should be earnestly respected and observed. ”
Because China had previously said that the four northern islands belonged to Japan, and now Sino-Japanese relations are very poor, China has become an old iron with Russia. Therefore, China needs to be cautious about taking a stand on the issue of the four northern islands.
China's attitude toward the four northern islands has reversed twice in history. In the 1950s, due to the Sino-Soviet alliance, China supported the Soviet Union's occupation of the four northern islands, so until 1975, the "World Atlas" of the China Map Publishing House, the four northern islands were marked as Soviet territory. In the 1970s and 1980s, when Sino-Soviet relations were bad and Sino-Japanese friendship honeymooned, we instead supported Japan's sovereignty claim to the four northern islands. The official maps were changed to be marked as Japanese territory (Soviet/Russian occupation). In recent years, china and Russia have become strategic partners in close coordination, and my attitude toward the four northern islands has changed again.
In fact, historically, the attitude of the Soviet Union and Russia to the four northern islands has also been relaxed. There have been two statements that some of the four northern islands could be returned to Japan. The first time was in 1956 and the second time was in 2004
From this answer, it can be seen that the Chinese side has not clearly expressed its support for the Russian side's position, but has supported the Russian side in disguise. Because according to the results of the anti-fascist war, the Soviet Union actually occupied the four northern islands and incorporated the four northern islands (the South Kuril Islands) into the territory, while Russia inherited the territorial rights and interests of the Soviet Union. We support Russia's sovereignty over the four northern islands.
However, we mention respect for the achievements of the anti-fascist war with another meaning. Since no formal peace treaty was ever signed between the Soviet Union and Japan after World War II, the four northern islands were legally occupied in wartime. In order to completely solve the problem of the four northern islands, it is also necessary for Russia and Japan to formally sign a treaty.
From this point of view, China's statement on the four northern islands is very clever!
#中方: The issue of the South Kuril Islands should be resolved by Russia and Japan
