Maps Show Russian Territory China Could Annex Amid FSB ‘Suspicion'
Russia fears China could annex part of its Far East region, including the port city of Vladivostok, and beyond, according to a leaked document from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
The eight-page internal FSB document, obtained by The New York Times, reveals that despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's outward projection of warm ties with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, he fears Beijing is "trying to encroach" on Russian territory.
Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin and the Chinese embassy in Washington for comment by email.
The emergence of the document comes against the backdrop of a shifting alliance between Moscow and Beijing. Both countries have forged closer ties in recent years, despite Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Putin and Xi declaring a "no-limits partnership" in 2022.
According to the Times the leaked document "gives the most detailed behind-the-scenes view to date of Russian counterintelligence's thinking about China" and describes "a 'tense and dynamically developing' intelligence battle in the shadows between the two outwardly friendly nations."
The undated document appears to have been written in late 2023 or early 2024, according to the Times. A previously undisclosed unit of the FSB referred to China in the document as "the enemy" and as posing a serious threat to Russian national security.
The report highlights Russia's deep-rooted mistrust of China across their 2,615-mile shared border, and points out how Chinese nationalists have long challenged 19th-century treaties under which Russia acquired vast territories, including what is now Vladivostok.
Vladivostok was ceded to Tsarist Russia in 1860 under the Treaty of Peking, which established the border between China and Russia along the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, as indicated on Newsweek's maps in this article. This agreement granted Russia control of Vladivostok, a key port city in the Russian Far East.
Per the FSB, China has sought to bolster its historical claims in the Russian Far East by researching traces of "ancient Chinese peoples" in the region. In 2023, China's Ministry of Natural Resources mandated that new maps use the Chinese names for Vladivostok and seven other cities in the region. The document suggests that China may be trying to influence local opinion to support its narrative.
The FSB memo also alleges that Chinese intelligence agents are interested in the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route, which is located by the northern coast of Russia. The route, which significantly reduces shipping time between Asia and Europe, would allow China to export its goods more efficiently.
Besides territorial concerns, Putin's security service is worried Chinese intelligence is recruiting Russian spies, attempting to get a hold of sensitive military tech, and gathering information about Russia's operations in Ukraine to learn more about Western tech and warfare.
"The document describes mistrust and suspicion on both sides of the relationship," the publication reported, noting that China is conducting polygraph tests on its agents as soon as they return home. Beijing has also reportedly tightened scrutiny of the roughly 20,000 Russian students studying in China and has sought to recruit Russians married to Chinese citizens as potential spies.
Paul Kolbe, a senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, who served for 25 years in the CIA Directorate of Operations, including in Russia, told the Times: "To go back to the old adage, there is no such thing as friendly intel services. You don't have to scratch very deep in any Russian military or intel official to get deep suspicion of China. In the long run, China is, in spite of the unlimited partnership and how useful they are, also a potential threat."
Outwardly, Putin and Xi are likely to continue to project an image of close ties. Just last month, they signed a joint statement pledging to "further deepen" their partnership after holding talks in Moscow.
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"China is hurting, yes—but they still hold the upper hand on critical resources, and they know how to use them." Any lessening of tensions — and freer flow — of these mineral resources in China would be a significant boost to the global economy with China holding outsized leverage in both the reserves and processing capacity of these key building blocks for everything from computers to electric vehicle batteries to medical devices. Likewise, the US offering concessions on export controls would be a significant move after years where successive US administrations have wielded these controls — especially around the design and manufacture of semiconductors — by saying they need to be tight on China for national security reasons. Read more here. May's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report will be released on Wednesday and its expected to show that prices rose a bit faster than in April. Yahoo Finance's Allie Canal breaks down what to look out for and how President Trump's tariffs are impacting what consumers are now paying for goods and services. Read more here. Now that the US-China trade truce is back on track, both sides are keen to ensure it stays that way. China's Vice Premier He Lifeng said both sides need to now 'show the spirit of good faith in abiding by their commitments and jointly safeguard the hard-won results of the dialogue.' Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Despite the US-China trade truce resuming the pain from President Trump's tariffs remains in China, especially among small exporters. Reuters reports: Read more here. Japan warned Wednesday that tariffs threaten its economic growth, the government said in a monthly report. Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. 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'Now we can go forward to try to do positive trade, growing trade,' he said. As part of the deal, Beijing has promised to speed up shipments of rare earth metals, a crucial component for global auto and defense industries. Washington will ease export controls. This marks the first sign of movement on key issues. The proposal will now be presented to President Trump and China's Xi. Still, the discussions also did little to resolve a long-standing issue: China's trade surplus with the US. 'Markets will likely welcome the shift from confrontation to coordination,' said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets. 'We're not out of the woods yet — it's up to Trump and Xi to approve and enforce the deal.' The meeting was set up after a phone call between the two leaders, following weeks of each side accusing the other of breaking the Geneva commitments. Both countries had used chips, rare earths, student visas and ethane as bargaining tools. Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor at East China Normal University, said trust, not money, has been the biggest casualty of the trade war. 'We've heard a lot about frameworks,' he said. 'But the fundamental issue remains: Chips versus rare earths. Everything else is a peacock dance.' Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
