Kyodo: China for the first time since 1964 took a neutral position on the Kuril Islands

For the first time in almost 60 years, China has changed its position on the issue of ownership of the southern part of the Kuril Islands, taking neutrality, transmits Kyodo agency, citing sources close to the Chinese side.

In 1964, the then Chinese President Mao Zedong recognized the southern part of the Kuril Islands as the territory of Japan. The agency notes that current President Xi Jinping, during a meeting in March with Russian President Vladimir Putin, indicated that China “will not take the position of either side” on the issue of territorial ownership of the disputed territory.

“A change in China’s position will undoubtedly increase Russia’s confidence and further toughen its position towards Japan. This will complicate negotiations on the return of the territories, ”experts point out.

The issue of a peace treaty with Japan, absent since the end of World War II due to a dispute over the ownership of several South Kuril Islands, is “closed”. About this February 10 stated Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, stressing the impossibility of negotiations due to Tokyo’s “openly unfriendly” position.

In February, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on the need to conclude a peace treaty and settle the territorial dispute with Russia. At the same time, he stressed that Tokyo has not changed its position on the issue of ownership of the islands that make up the southern part of the Kuriles, and will not change it in the future – the Japanese side considers them to be its “occupied northern territories.”

Russia and Japan do not have a peace treaty following World War II due to the protracted dispute over the South Kuriles. The state of war between the two countries was officially ended in 1956 after the conclusion of the Moscow Declaration, after which the USSR and Japan resumed diplomatic relations. According to Tokyo’s position, the Russian Federation should hand over to Japan four southern islands of the Kuril chain (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, Habomai Islands). Moscow, on the other hand, recognizes the USSR declaration of 1956, which refers to the possibility of transferring the two islands after the conclusion of a peace treaty.