By Nikola Mikovic
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed here are those of the authors. View more opinions on ScoonTV
While the Kremlin remains preoccupied with the war in Ukraine, China is actively expanding its economic presence across Russia. Nowhere is this more visible than in the sparsely populated Russian Far East. But does this mean that Beijing, as widely speculated, ultimately aims to absorb that territory?
Despite widespread beliefs, Russia and China are not formal allies. The two nations have a deepening “comprehensive strategic partnership,” formalized through various agreements signed at high-level meetings over the years. That, however, does not mean that they share the same geopolitical and geoeconomic interests, nor that they hold the same views on all historical events.
Russia and China have a long history of conflicts, including disputes during the Chinese Qing dynasty that resulted in the Treaties of Aigun (1858) and Beijing (1860), through which Russia gained today’s Primorsky region (also known as Primorye, or Primorsky Krai). Moscow and Beijing, however, have differing historical interpretations of those events.
Who Owns Primorye?
Yury Ufimtsev, author of A Living History of Primorye, argues that Primorye is Russian territory transferred to Russia in full ownership under the Treaty of Beijing, and that China therefore has no grounds for claims or disputes over the region.
“Koreans and the Balhae state ruled Primorye for 881 years; the Chinese for 306 years, the Mongols and Khitan for 321 years, and the Jurchen and Manchus for 394 years. In the final two years, from 1858 to 1860, the latter governed Primorye jointly with Russia as a condominium.”
Ufimtsev explained in October 2025, emphasizing that all these empires are also part of China’s historical narrative.
Although the Chinese government has officially recognized its current borders with Russia since the early 2000s and does not advocate reclaiming Primorye, Chinese bloggers sometimes assert that the region was “unfairly taken” during a period of Qing weakness and suggest that it should be returned to China. These opinions seem to worry the Kremlin.
“If we now ignore the fact that our region was never historically part of China, then after some time, considering the materials currently being published in the People’s Republic claiming that this was Chinese territory, what will happen? What will happen is that the materials being published today in the neighboring country will become the dominant narrative.”
Oleg Kozhemyako, Governor of Primorsky Krai, stressed in October 2025.
Previously, in 2023, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment reportedly released new official maps that showed some Russian cities with Chinese names – including Vladivostok, the administrative center of Primorsky Krai. Such a move prompted some Western media to speculate that Russia allegedly fears that China could annex part of its Far East region, including the port city of Vladivostok. Russian authors, however, reject such claims, arguing that strong economic ties between Moscow and Beijing, settled borders, and respect for sovereignty make a Chinese invasion highly unlikely.
Chinese Capital and Tourists Boost the Far East
Indeed, Russian polls consistently show a highly positive view of China, especially since 2022. In 2025, 69 percent of Russians approve of China’s leadership, nearly double the 36 percent recorded in 2019. Thus, even if Russian assertions that the West aims to turn Russia and China against each other are true, under the current conditions, such a strategy is unlikely to be fruitful and effective.
For Russia, China is a major, indispensable trade partner, having replaced the European Union after Brussels imposed sanctions on Moscow in 2022. According to analysts’ estimates, bilateral trade between the two neighboring states reached a level of slightly above $220 billion last year. In the Russian Far East regions, including Primorsky Krai, China is by far the top investor, particularly in energy – notably the Amur Gas projects – as well as in agriculture, transportation, and logistics.
As China’s Consul General in Khabarovsk, Jiang Xiaoyang stressed in January 2025, over 90 percent of foreign investment in the Russian Far East comes from the People’s Republic. In his view, trade between these Russian territories and Chinese provinces shows stable and positive trends.
A Russian-Chinese agro-industrial park is planned to be built in Primorsky Krai in 2026, offering special incentives to foreign investors. It will include facilities for grain storage and processing, food production, and agricultural machinery, highlighting closer agricultural cooperation between the two strategic partners. Moreover, Moscow and Beijing plan to build the first modern scenic cross-border cable car service connecting Russia’s city of Blagoveshchensk in the Amur region and Heihe in China. Such a project is very likely to attract tourists and stimulate regional tourism.
After Russia introduced a visa-free regime with China on December 1, the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Russian Far East grew significantly. According to reports, in December 2025, the number of tourists from China increased by 26 percent compared to the previous year. During the first nine months of 2025, around 416,000 Chinese tourists visited Primorsky Krai, but the number in 2026 is expected to grow further in 2026.
Is the Region at Risk of Chinese Settlement?
Still, Yury Ufimtsev claims that “every single one of the 600,000 Chinese tourists who arrive in Vladivostok during the peak season never fails to tell a Russian guide that this is Chinese territory.” Besides such rhetoric, there is also a common stereotype that the Chinese are so numerous that they will populate all of Siberia and the Russian Far East.
It is not a secret that the Russian Far East is sparsely populated, with roughly one person per square kilometer (about 2.6 people per square mile) or less—making it one of the least densely inhabited regions in the world. Around 8 million people are spread across nearly 7 million square kilometers (about 2.7 million square miles). By comparison, China’s northernmost province, Heilongjiang, which shares a 3,400-kilometer (about 2,113 miles) border with Russia, has about 32 million residents and a population density of roughly 68 people per square kilometer (about 176 per square mile).
However, given the People’s Republic’s demographic decline, Russian analysts believe that China does not have the capacity to populate Russian territory, even if it wanted to. However, Beijing can undoubtedly continue spreading its economic presence in Russia, where the Far Eastern regions serve as a crucial door to Chinese investment, trade, and broader cooperation.
Last year, in Primorsky Krai, the number of cars imported from China quadrupled, which is no surprise given that, as a result of Western sanctions, Chinese car manufacturers already dominate the Russian market. Moscow, on the other hand, sees its Far East as another gateway in its energy cooperation with Beijing. Construction is reportedly progressing on a planned Far Eastern gas route to supply Russian natural gas to China, with exports set to begin in 2027 and deliver an additional two billion cubic meters a year initially, rising to 12 billion cubic meters annually.
Thus, although Russia and China are not formal allies and have different views on 19th-century events, their cooperation in the Russian Far East is closely linked to both countries’ broader strategic plans. But as long as Moscow remains cut off from the West, Primorye, as well as other regions of Russia in the Far East, will increasingly serve as a stage for China’s growing economic influence and deeper engagement.
Curtis Scoon is the founder of ScoonTv.com Download the ScoonTv App to join our weekly livestream every Tuesday @ 8pm EST! Support true independent media. Become a VIP member www.scoontv.com/vip-signup/ and download the ScoonTv App from your App Store.
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