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The Conversation
The Conversation
Politics
Susan Smith-Peter, Professor of Russian history , City University of New York

Dreams of a 'broken up' Russia might turn into a nightmare for the West – and an opportunity for China

Breaking up is hard to do. Glasshouse Images/Getty Images

Do names on a map matter? When they are in border territories, the answer is probably “yes.”

Earlier in 2023, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources ordered that new maps must use the former Chinese names of its lost territories in what is now Russia’s Far East. Vladivostok, home to Russia’s Pacific fleet headquarters, became Haishenwai; Sakhalin Island became Kuyedao. Then in late August, the ministry released a map that showed the disputed Russian territory of Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island within China’s borders.

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