In 1962, when China negotiated the demarcation of the border with the DPRK, half of the Changbai Mountains were assigned to the DPRK, totaling about 1,200 square kilometers. What is less well known, however, is that Japan has also ceded two key islands to North Korea. To this day, these two small islands still have a significant impact on the revitalization of China's northeast. So, where exactly are these two small islands located?Is it a gain or loss for China to abandon these two small islands?
Two islands ceded by China to North Korea.
The two small islands that China ceded to Korea are located at the mouth of the Yalu River, and are named Xindao and Silk Island respectively.
Xindao Island is located on the west side of the main channel in the center of the Yalu River, which is formed by the siltation of the Yalu River. In 1885, the Qing Dynasty map did not show the island, but in 1933 it was already on the map. Since Xindao is located at the mouth of the Yalu River, with the continuous siltation of sediment in the upper reaches, Xindao has rapidly expanded to become the largest impact island in the Yalu River estuary and the largest island in the entire Yalu River basin. The island is close to the side of China, and when the water level is low, it is only a few hundred meters away from Dandong, Liaoning, China.
Originally, the island belonged to Japan, but after the Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula in 1910, the island was also occupied by Japan. In 1931, Japan occupied the three eastern provinces, and in 1942, the Shuifeng Hydropower Station was built in Dandong, the main stream of the Yalu River, forming an artificial lake of 345 square kilometers with a water storage capacity of 11.6 billion cubic meters, making it the largest artificial lake in Asia. However, the establishment of the Suphong hydropower plant flooded several small islands in North Korea. As a result, Japan exerted pressure in 1935 to force ** to admit that the island was assigned to Korea.
Formed in 1958, Silk Island, also known as Scarlet Island, is located in the center of the Yalu River. It is also located on the Chinese side of the main channel, across the river from China's Dataizi port. The silk island is long and narrow from north to south, and is about 20 years long5 kilometers, with an area of about 67 square kilometers, is deposited by the flowing water of the Yalu River. At present, the island of salary and silk island are still expanding, and it is expected to form a delta at the mouth of the Yalu River.
The importance of the two islands to our country.
In 1951, China gained control of several Yalu River islands, such as Xindao Island and Silk Island. However, in 1964, when China and North Korea demarcated the border, these islands were assigned to North Korea by our country. As a result, the Yalu River became one of the few boundary rivers that was not demarcated along the centerline of the main channel.
For my country, the biggest disadvantage of losing these two islands is the reduction of territory. The island of Yen and the island of Silk are located on the side of Japan, and as the area expands, they may be directly connected to each other to form a peninsula. Therefore, there are fears that problems may arise on the new boundary line of the DPRK in the future.
The two islands are located at the mouth of the Yalu River, forming a key point between the northwest of the Korean Peninsula and the Liaodong Peninsula. They are located on the south side of the old west channel of the Yalu River, which starts from the end of the inner island of North Korea, passes through important ports such as Dataizi and Zhaoshigou in China, and finally flows into the sea. In the past, the Northeast region went to sea through Dandong Port, passed through these two islands, and directly connected to the Yellow Sea, and connected to the Bohai Sea, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Shandong Peninsula and other places.
Historically, it was an important passage between China and North Korea. However, with the cedion of the two islands to North Korea and the continued silting of the riverbed, some waterways have lost their transport capacity. There are even fears that the port of Dandong will also lose its role in the future and will have to build a new port. Due to the limited coastline in Northeast China, the restriction of access to the sea on the Yalu River will further affect the development of the region. Looking back at Japan's original decision, was it wise to cede Silk Island and Fortress Island to the DPRK?
Why did our country cede Silk Island and Salary Island to North Korea?
In fact, when China and the DPRK demarcated the border, it was stipulated that the islands belonged to the DPRK, but the waters belonged to China, and the Jiangkou was the line between the two sides. In fact, Silk Island was originally part of the Salary Island, which was formed only a few decades ago. Due to the southward movement of the Yalu River, the current border situation was formed. As the boundary river between China and North Korea, the Yalu River allows ships from both countries to pass, so China's sea power has not been affected.
At that time, the decision to cede the two islands to North Korea was of great significance in the historical context of that time.
After the victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, China eliminated the threat posed by the United States and the West to the northeast region. However, after the 60s of the 20th century, relations between China and the Soviet Union deteriorated, and the Soviet Union was an important northern neighbor of our country, with a border of more than 7,300 kilometers. Under the tense situation, the Sino-Soviet border demarcation talks were forced to be suspended.
At the same time, China is also facing pressure from India and Vietnam in the southwest, which has brought great challenges to China's border security. Therefore, China urgently needs to resolve the issue of border demarcation with neighboring countries. At that time, the DPRK won the Korean War with the help of our country, the relations between China and the DPRK were relatively friendly, and the DPRK also maintained neutrality on the Sino-Soviet issue. Based on national defense and security considerations, in 1962, when China was negotiating with the DPRK on the demarcation of the border, it agreed to cede half of the territory of Changbai Mountain and the Yalu River islands such as Xindao and Silk Island to the DPRK. In 1964, the two sides signed the Sino-North Korean Boundary Treaty, establishing a 1,420-kilometer-long undisputed border. China's sincerity has also won the trust of the DPRK, and since then, relations between the two countries have warmed up rapidly, maintaining stability in the northeast and south of China.
Although it is a bit regrettable for the DPRK to cede the two islands, it is an important decision for the development of China's long-term interests. So far, the Yalu River is still an important passage to the sea in China. However, due to the increasing sediment carried by the Yalu River, the downstream channel is seriously silted up, and the riverbed is gradually narrowing. At present, dredging the shipping channel and ensuring the normal navigation of the Yalu River is still a major challenge facing China and the DPRK.