In Beijing’s ongoing divergence from the world, politically, economically, and militarily supporting Russia, and refusing to participate in the peace summit held in Switzerland, Russia celebrated the signing of the “Treaty of Tianjin” with China while Russian officials praised the treaty, leaving the top leaders in the Zhongnanhai embarrassed.
On June 14, the Russian state television broadcast a report celebrating the 166th anniversary of the signing of the “Treaty of Tianjin” between China and Russia. The Treaty was signed on June 13, 1858, after the Qing government’s defeat in the Second Opium War. The “Treaty of Tianjin” was also signed with the United States, Britain, and France.
In the official Russian report, the treaty was hailed as “not only laying the foundation for friendship and peace between Russia and China but also continually strengthening and developing in the ensuing years.” Alexander Babakov, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Duma, emphasized the solid friendship and cooperation between Russia and China, highlighting joint projects in industry, technology, economic development, and culture as successful examples of their efforts.
The high praise for the “Treaty of Tianjin” by Russian state media and officials has put Beijing in an awkward position, as the treaty has been portrayed in Chinese Communist Party official narratives and textbooks as an “unequal treaty” rather than a friendly agreement.
The “Treaty of Tianjin” has 12 main clauses, including provisions allowing Russian warships to dock in various Chinese ports, expanding overland trade, granting Russia consular jurisdiction in China, permitting Russian missionary activity within China, and equalizing political and trade privileges between China and other countries with those granted to Russia.
From a modern perspective, the terms of the “Treaty of Tianjin” clearly infringed on China’s sovereignty, especially the clause regarding the survey of the previously undetermined border between China and Russia, which planted the seeds for further territorial encroachment under the guise of boundary demarcation.
In 1860, China and Russia signed the “Peking Treaty”, which forcibly ceded approximately 400,000 square kilometers of Chinese territory east of the Ussuri River (including the Kuril Islands) to Russia. Additionally, the treaty established the western boundary between China and Russia, running from the Shabindaba River through Lake Issyk-Kul to the Hokkaido border, with the “mountain ranges, major rivers, and locations where China currently resides in Karun” serving as the boundary.
Following that, the “Sino-Russian Northwest Boundary Survey Agreement” was signed in 1864, ceding over 440,000 square kilometers of Chinese territory east and south of Lake Balkhash and north of Lake Issyk-Kul to Russia. This agreement also allowed for the opening of Kashgar as a trading port and the establishment of consulates in Ulan Bator (Kuren) and Kashgar by Russia.
For the Chinese people, the “Treaty of Tianjin” and the “Peking Treaty” signed by the Qing government with Russia are sources of sorrow as they led to significant territorial losses in Northeast and Northwest China.
In light of history where China suffered significant territorial encroachment by Russia and the latter openly flaunts it, the Communist Party of China (CPC) seems unashamed and even provides substantial financial support, raising questions about its values. What does this behavior reveal about the CPC’s lack of concern for the honor and disgrace of the Chinese nation? On the other hand, why are Russian high-ranking officials and the state media openly mocking the CPC and what message are they trying to convey? It seems that the bridge of friendship between the two nations is quite fragile.