Taiwan suggests China should capture Russia's Far East

As long as China considers Taiwan part of its territory, Beijing should allegedly take back the Russian Far East which China lost as a result of the 1858 Treaty of Aigun, Taiwanese President Lai Qingde said, Newtalk reports.

If China is going to attack and annex Taiwan, Beijing is not doing it for territorial reasons, the Taiwanese president said.

"If it is for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn't China return Russia's lands that were transferred under the Treaty of Aigun? Russia is in its weakest state now, is it not? (…) They could ask Russia [to give up the lands], but they are not doing it. Therefore, it is obvious that it is not for territorial reasons that they want to invade Taiwan,” the politician said.

China allegedly wants to break the "existing rules-based order” in the western Pacific Ocean, Lai Qingde added.

The Treaty of Aigun was concluded in 1858 between the Russian Empire and the Qing Empire. One of its signatories from the Russian side was Adjutant General Count Nikolai Muravyov, whose monument is depicted on the 5,000-ruble banknote.

According to the agreement, the border of the two countries was divided along the Amur River, as a result of which the Russian Empire included the territories of the modern Amur Region and part of the Khabarovsk Territory. The following Beijing Treaty from 1860 secured the future Primorsky Krai for Russia.

Taiwan is part of China already

First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov said that Taiwan was aware of its impunity when making such statements .

"It is insulting that he offers such ideas to China. This shows that they feel their impunity," the senator said.

Taiwan is part of China, Dzhabarov stressed adding that Beijing's control over the island was only a matter of time. 

"Sooner or later, Taiwan will definitely become part of China. It is Chinese territory de jure now, but de facto it will be China too," he added.

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Lai Ching-te also known as William Lai, is a Taiwanese politician and former physician who is currently serving as the 8th president of Taiwan (officially known as Republic of China) since May 2024. He is the third member from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to assume the office of president and the first DPP president to succeed another DPP president. He is also the third incumbent vice president to succeed to the presidency and the first of which to assume the office through election instead of immediate succession. He has also served as the chair of the DPP since 2023.

Taiwan officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. It has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 square miles), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanized population is concentrated. The combined territories under ROC control consist of 168 islands in total covering 36,193 square kilometres (13,974 square miles). The largest metropolitan area is formed by Taipei (the capital), New Taipei City, and Keelung. With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries.