Russia handed over half of an island in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang to China yesterday, formally ending a decades-long border dispute between the two countries, state media said.
Top officials from the two sides held a ceremony at Heixiazi Island, called Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island in Russia, to unveil the new boundary markers for the eastern section of the boundary.
Russia handed over about 174 sq km of the western part of the island, along with the nearby Yinlong Island, China News Service reported.
Heixiazi Island now becomes the easternmost tip of China.
According to a protocol signed by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Beijing on July 21, Russia was to return the island to China this year, marking the final settlement of their 4,300km border, the scene of armed clashes at the height of the cold war.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang yesterday hailed the peaceful resolution of the two countries' border dispute as 'a lesson for the world'.
'The experience of China and Russia in settling these remaining border disputes further shows that peaceful dialogue and fair and reasonable consultation on equal basis is an effective way,' Mr Qin said. 'This sets an example for the international community.'