Zhejiang and Fujian, the two adjacent provinces, have always had the reputation of "Fujian and Zhejiang". Despite this, even if they are brothers, there will inevitably be times of disputes.
Since the fifties of the last century, Zhejiang and Fujian have been arguing over the sovereignty of a small archipelago for more than 60 years.
Located at the center of the storm in the East China Sea, the Seven Star Islands show their unique charm.
This island group is composed of 5 islands, including Xingzi, Rift Rock, Changyu, Vertical Gate, and Zhulianyu, and 7 reefs, including Hengjiao and South Reef, with a total area of only 0At 15 square kilometers, the vertical gate is 64 meters above sea level, making it the highest point in the archipelago.
Although scattered over an area of 88 square kilometers, the Qixing Islands are named after their shape that resembles the Big Dipper, and Zhejiang calls them the Qixing Islands and belongs to Cangnan County.
In Fujian, because there is already a place called Qixing Islands in the sea near Fuding City, in order to avoid confusion, it is named after the main island Xingzi Island, and this archipelago is called Xingzi Islands.
Qixing Islands is located about 40 kilometers south-east of Xiaguan Town, Cangnan County, about 44 kilometers south-east of Shacheng Town, Fuding City, and about 12 kilometers away from Taishan Islands.
The surrounding sea is rich in shells and fish resources, and has high economic value.
Historically, fishermen from Zhejiang and Fujian have often worked here, and the island is uninhabited, so it is difficult to determine the ownership of the island according to its population, resulting in constant disputes over the ownership of the island, and it is difficult to reach an agreement.
The attached map of Cangnan County, Zhejiang Province, shows that the Qixing Islands are clearly under the jurisdiction of Cangnan County.
Fujian Province has specially produced a special area description map for the Qixing Islands, Taishan Islands and Xingzi Islands (Qixing Islands) to make it clear that the Xingzi Islands belong to Fujian.
Prior to this, before the fifties of the last century, the maritime demarcation line between Zhejiang and Fujian was roughly bounded by the first line of the ocean surface of the Nan** in Cangnan County and the Taishan Islands in Fuding City.
It should be emphasized that the Taishan Islands belonged to the jurisdiction of Pingyang County, Zhejiang Province before the fifties of the last century, so the historical dividing line between Zhejiang and Fujian is south of the first line of the Taishan Islands, and even the Taishan Islands belong to Zhejiang, and the Qixing Islands naturally belong to Zhejiang.
The Taishan archipelago is located near 27 degrees north latitude and 120 degrees east longitude, and is composed of 15 islands and 22 reefs such as Xitai, Dongtai, Nanchuanyu and Nanyu, with a total area of 357 square kilometers, of which the main island Xitai Island covers an area of 1With 2 square kilometers, it is the easternmost inhabited island in Fujian Province.
The importance of the Taishan archipelago is self-evident, historically it was occupied and plundered by the Japanese invaders, but was eventually wiped out by Qi Jiguang. In the twenty-eighth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty set up a tour here, and stationed 623 officers and soldiers to prevent giant robbers on the sea.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, many coastal islands in Zhejiang and Fujian were still under the control of the Chiang Kai-shek regime, and the Taishan Islands were one of them. Due to its special geographical location, the Chiang Kai-shek regime used it as an aircraft navigation landmark.
In February 1955, the People's Liberation Army launched the last battle against the Kuomintang army on the Taishan Islands, known as the "Taishan Naval Battle". This battle has special significance for Zhejiang Province and even the whole of Chinese mainland.
On August 4 of the same year, the Taishan Islands officially separated from Zhejiang and belonged to Fujian Province and belonged to Fuding County. This move is believed to be motivated by the need to establish a unified military defense against Taiwan.
However, this decision sparked a dispute between Zhejiang and Fujian provinces over the Qixing Islands. At issue is the determination of the status of the Qixing Islands, with Zhejiang arguing that they are an independent island group and Fujian arguing that they are part of Fujian along with the Taishan Islands.
In February**Dynamic Incentive Plan In order to defend their rights and interests, the two sides launched a series of struggles. Although these struggles were breathtaking, they also exposed the contradictions and problems in China's local administration at that time.
In the early 60s of the 20th century, Zhejiang Province once erected a "sovereignty monument" on the island, but it was soon smashed by Fujian fishermen. In 1974, fishermen in Cangnan County built a grass liao to live in the Qixing Islands, and opened up a fishing ground for winter flood operations.
On October 30, 1985, Liu Xiaohua, the county magistrate of Cangnan County, and his entourage took the 714th ship of the fishery administration to the Qixing Islands to stand a stone monument to "declare sovereignty". However, for some indescribable reason, the stele ceased to exist.
In 2002, Cangnan County** re-erected a monument on Qixing Island, but disappeared again for some reason. In 2004, seven deputies, including Zhong Meiyun of the Fujian delegation, submitted a proposal on confirming the jurisdiction of the Xingzi Islands in Fuding City, Fujian Province as soon as possible.
On May 29, 2013, Su Qingming, director of the Standing Committee of the Cangnan People's Congress, led more than 40 people, including deputies to the National People's Congress, to the Qixing Islands to erect a monument to declare jurisdiction again. However, the stele disappeared again and its whereabouts are still unknown.
On October 26, 2016, Huang Shoulong, vice chairman of the Wenzhou CPPCC and secretary of the Cangnan County Party Committee, led the heads of the public legal inspection, marine fishery and other departments to inspect Qixing Island, and erected a stone tablet engraved with the words "Qixing Island" at the highest place of the island to swear jurisdiction over the island.
In November 2013, Zhejiang Province established a provincial-level marine special protection area in the Qixing Islands. Not to be outdone, Fujian established the provincial-level Taishan Islands-Xingzai Islands Marine Reserve in 2017.
It is difficult to demarcate the boundary between Zhejiang and Fujian, and the controversy is large, so far it is unclear. The Qixing Islands, whether they belong to Zhejiang or Fujian, are China's inherent territory and are only internal disputes.
It is a good thing that upholding the attitude of shelving disputes and developing together can benefit the people of the two provinces. The solution to the South Taihu controversy can be used as a reference.