ABSTRACT
Tensions along the Sino-Soviet frontier led to some shooting over the disputed Damansky Island in 1969. But rapprochement followed to the extent of renewed Western talk of a Moscow–Beijing axis. Throughout history, indeed, there have been ups and downs in the relationship between Russia and China. These need to be seen in the global context of empire, both seaborne and landward.
A particular problem has been posed over the centuries by ‘Manchuria,’ the name given by foreign powers to the northeast provinces of China, which were not fully restored until after the Chinese Revolution of 1949. The greatest rival to Russia in the region was Japan, which was victorious in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–5, then later set up the puppet state of Manchukuo from 1931 to 1945. Today, what was Manchuria has lost much of its significance with much greater emphasis given to developments south of the Great Wall and via the New Silk Road in Central Asia.
