Outer Khingan

The Asia Times noted on Feb. 25 that it is ironic that while releasing a peace plan this week “which conspicuously fails to say clearly whether Moscow should with draw its troops” from Ukraine’s Donbas region and Crimea,” China “this very month, made a politically sensitive change in its official word view – a change that affects Russia.” It elaborates that “Under Beijing’s new directive, Vladivostok once again is called Haishenwai (meaning Sea Cucumber Bay) while Sakhalin Island is called Kuyedao. The Stanovoy Range is back to being called the Outer Xing’an Range in Chinese.”

[2023 February 26, Bohdan Nahaylo, “OPINION: China Challenges Russia by Restoring Chinese Names of Cities on Their Border”, in Kyiv Post, archived from the original on 26 Feb 2023, World

In China, “patriotic” columnists are welcome to criticize western powers for acquiring Qing lands by force during the 19th century. Some said following the successful handovers of Hong Kong and Macau from Britain and Portugal, respectively, that Beijing should consider recovering Haishenwai and the Stanovoy Range from Russia.

[2023 May 17, Jeff Pao, “China’s Jilin to ship goods via Vladivostok”, in Asia Times, archived from the original on 16 May 2023, China