Zhenbao Island

alternative Chen Pao Island

1. An island of Zhenbaodao, Hulin, Jixi, Heilongjiang, China.

   In January 1969, Chinese and Soviet soldiers fought around Zhenbao Island in the Ussuri River.

   2005, Michael P. Colaresi, “Climbing the Wall: The Sino-American Rivalry”, in Scare Tactics: The Politics of International Rivalry, Syracuse University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 202

   5 more examples

   In Beijing’s view, in the absence of an explicit treaty provision, the central line of the main channel—the Thalweg principle—provided a legal basis for delimiting the boundary in the two rivers. On this basis, Beijing claimed that 600 of the rivers’ 700 islands—including Zhenbao Island on the Ussuri River, just 180 miles southwest of an important Soviet city, Khabarovsk—belonged to the P.R.C.

   1980, Melvin Gurton, Byong-Moo Hwang, China under Threat: The Politics of Strategy and Diplomacy, Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 210

   Later, in the 1980s, western scholars found that, notwithstanding the substantial Soviet military buildup near the Chinese borders in the late 1960s, it was Beijing that initiated the clash on Zhenbao (Damanski) Island. Peter Zwick has argued that the Soviets were in a generally reactive mode during the height of the conflict and exhibited restraint in responding to what they saw as Chinese provocations.

   2005, Vitaly Kozyrev, “Soviet Policy Toward the United States and China, 1969-1979”, in William C. Kirby, Robert S. Ross, Gong Li, editors, Normalization of U.S.-China Relations: An International History, Harvard University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 258

   In mid-1969, both countries fought a brief border war over Zhenbao Island [13], along the Ussuri River halfway between Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, killing dozens of conscripts on either side.

   2012 February 21, Frank Jacobs, “Manchurian Trivia”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 Jul 2022, Borderlines

   Photo taken on Sept. 28, 2016 shows the scenery of the Zhenbao Island wetland in Hulin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The 29,275-hectare wetland has been designated as a wetland of international importance by the Ramsar Convention in 2011 for its vital importance as a unique wetland for biological diversity.

   2016 September 29, “Scenery of Zhenbao Island wetland in Heilongjiang(1/6)”, in Li Yan, editor, China News Service, archived from the original on 06 Oct 2016

   In 1969, Chinese forces instigated a brutal ambush on unsuspecting Soviet border guards at Zhenbao Island, a contested bank on the Ussuri River. After numerous rough but not lethal hand-to-hand scuffles in the past, the island became the epicenter of a pitched battle and weeks-long exchange of fire. The initial ambush, conducted with small arms, escalated into deployment of heavy armor supported by rocket artillery. Hundreds of people were killed. Within two weeks, both sides were contemplating the possibility of a nuclear exchange.

   2021 March 29, Blake Herzinger, “China’s Military Could Turn Small Clashes Into Major Conflicts”, in Foreign Policy, archived from the original on 29 Mar 2021

   Synonyms: Chenpao, Chen Pao, Zhenbao, Damansky