China's area increases by 1000 sq km
PTI | Jan 12, 2011
BEIJING: China, which has a land area of about 9.6 million sq km, the third-largest country in the world, will get 1,000 sq km more, thanks to Tajikistan which today agreed to cede a 130-year-long disputed territory to the neighbouring Communist giant.
The Majlisi Namoyandagon, Tajikistan's lower chamber of Parliament, ratified a protocol on demarcation of Tajikistan's common border with China.
This was decided at a regular sitting of the second session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon, presided over by its speaker Shukurjon Zuhurov, Tajikistan's news agency Asiaplus reported.
The protocol that was presented by Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi caused lively discussions, it said.
Zarifi noted that ratification of the protocol was an important political event and would promote further expansion of Tajikistan's ties with China.
According to him, territorial dispute at first between the Tsarist Russia and China, then between the Soviet Union and China and later between sovereign Tajikistan and China over some 28,500 square kilometers in the Pamirs rose in the second half of the 19th century.
"These disputable territories are nearly 20 per cent of Tajikistan's territory, while under the protocol, only 1,000 square kilometres, or 3 per cent of the disputable territories, are ceded to China," the minister said, claiming "victory" for Tajik diplomacy.
"I consider that signing of this protocol is the victory of Tajik diplomacy," the report quoted Zarifi as saying.
However, leader of the Islamic Revival Party (IRP) Muhiddin Kabiri said that ratification of that document contradicted the country's Constitution.
"Article 7 of the Constitution says the territory of Tajikistan is inseparable and inviolable," said Kabiri.
"Under the protocol, 1000 square kilometers of our territory will be ceded to China and it is the defeat of Tajik diplomacy," the MP said.
The leader of the Communist Party of Tajikistan (CPT) Shodi Shabdolov, for his part, noted that the main mistake of the Tajik government was non-transparency of the protocol on the boundary issue with China.
"Nobody had reliable information and many rumours were in society that allegedly a huge part of Tajik territory will be ceded to China," said Shabdolov.
The CPT leader noted that ratification of the protocol would put an end to almost 130-year territorial dispute between Tajikistan and China.
At the time of independence, portions of the Tajik boundary with China were not defined. This boundary dispute was settled in agreements signed in 2002 that ceded 1,000 square kilometers of Pamir mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims over 28,000 square kilometers of Tajik lands, the report said.
China also has territorial disputes with its other neighbours like India and Japan.
Located in East Asia, on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has a land area of about 9.6 million sq km, and is the third-largest country in the world, next only to Russia and Canada, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.
BEIJING: China, which has a land area of about 9.6 million sq km, the third-largest country in the world, will get 1,000 sq km more, thanks to Tajikistan which today agreed to cede a 130-year-long disputed territory to the neighbouring Communist giant.
The Majlisi Namoyandagon, Tajikistan's lower chamber of Parliament, ratified a protocol on demarcation of Tajikistan's common border with China.
This was decided at a regular sitting of the second session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon, presided over by its speaker Shukurjon Zuhurov, Tajikistan's news agency Asiaplus reported.
The protocol that was presented by Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi caused lively discussions, it said.
Zarifi noted that ratification of the protocol was an important political event and would promote further expansion of Tajikistan's ties with China.
According to him, territorial dispute at first between the Tsarist Russia and China, then between the Soviet Union and China and later between sovereign Tajikistan and China over some 28,500 square kilometers in the Pamirs rose in the second half of the 19th century.
"These disputable territories are nearly 20 per cent of Tajikistan's territory, while under the protocol, only 1,000 square kilometres, or 3 per cent of the disputable territories, are ceded to China," the minister said, claiming "victory" for Tajik diplomacy.
"I consider that signing of this protocol is the victory of Tajik diplomacy," the report quoted Zarifi as saying.
However, leader of the Islamic Revival Party (IRP) Muhiddin Kabiri said that ratification of that document contradicted the country's Constitution.
"Article 7 of the Constitution says the territory of Tajikistan is inseparable and inviolable," said Kabiri.
"Under the protocol, 1000 square kilometers of our territory will be ceded to China and it is the defeat of Tajik diplomacy," the MP said.
The leader of the Communist Party of Tajikistan (CPT) Shodi Shabdolov, for his part, noted that the main mistake of the Tajik government was non-transparency of the protocol on the boundary issue with China.
"Nobody had reliable information and many rumours were in society that allegedly a huge part of Tajik territory will be ceded to China," said Shabdolov.
The CPT leader noted that ratification of the protocol would put an end to almost 130-year territorial dispute between Tajikistan and China.
At the time of independence, portions of the Tajik boundary with China were not defined. This boundary dispute was settled in agreements signed in 2002 that ceded 1,000 square kilometers of Pamir mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims over 28,000 square kilometers of Tajik lands, the report said.
China also has territorial disputes with its other neighbours like India and Japan.
Located in East Asia, on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has a land area of about 9.6 million sq km, and is the third-largest country in the world, next only to Russia and Canada, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/Chinas-area-increases-by-1000-sq-km/articleshow/7269616.cms
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