Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “history lessons” in an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson have led some Chinese nationalists to demand the return of the port city of Vladivostok.
On Weibo, a Chinese social media platform like We are examining many years of research. President Putin tried to justify the Kremlin’s decision to attack Ukraine in an interview with Prime Minister Karlsson in Moscow on February 6.
China has historical claims to Vladivostok, which was handed over to Imperial Russia in 1860 as part of the Treaty of Peking. Under this treaty, the border between China and Russia was established along the Amur and Ussuri rivers, giving Russia access to Vladivostok, a major port city in the Far East.
Although China does not officially support Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Chinese government has provided financial aid.
In recent years, a movement has emerged among some Chinese nationalists calling for Russia to return Vladivostok to China. These claims were further strengthened in an interview with President Putin. In it, President Putin contrasted the suspicion that the historical foundations of the Russian state date back to the 9th century with Ukraine’s “invention” of the 20th century.
“History says Russia should return Vladivostok and vast territories stolen over 100 years ago to us,” Chinese social media user Robert Wu said on X (formerly Twitter). .
Although the Chinese government has officially banned the use of X in China, netizens are using virtual protocol networks (VPNs) to access the platform.
Another Chinese nationalist on Weibo pointed out that Russia has territories that were previously controlled by the Chinese Empire.
“Further afield, present-day Mongolia and Russian Siberia were both Chinese territories during the Tang Dynasty, with Xi’an as the capital,” a Weibo user wrote. The Tang Dynasty dates back to the 7th century.
Other China experts expressed skepticism about Putin’s use of historical references in the interview.
“…historically, it makes little sense that a place belongs somewhere else. Why should we refer to the 8th century or the 13th century and not 220 BC? We live in modern times with laws, not in the 8th century,” said researcher Zichen Wang. The China Center on China and Globalization and a former Chinese state media reporter wrote about X.
Gavril Grigorov/AFP via Getty
The hashtag “Putin interviews American journalist for the first time in two years” trended on Weibo, reaching No. 6 and being viewed more than 36 million times.
Chinese state media has remained largely silent on the Vladivostok issue, as Beijing views the Kremlin’s support as a bulwark against U.S. influence in international affairs.
“China experts have pointed out that U.S. political conservatives, represented by Mr. Carlson, have a certain kind of ideological resistance and prejudice toward China.President Putin’s remarks , which is based on an objective, deep and accurate understanding of China’s diplomacy, will help rectify this problem.” “It contributes to alleviating the biased understanding of China and Western society’s fears about China’s peaceful development,” a Beijing-based expert told Chinese nationalist media. Global Timeson condition of anonymity.
“Western countries fear a strong China more than a strong Russia,” Putin said in an interview with Carlson.
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