Treaty of Kyakhta (1727)

The Treaty of Kyakhta (sometimes known as the Treaty of Kiakhta) (Russian: Кяхтинский договор; Chinese: 恰克圖條約; pinyin: Qiàkètú tiáoyuē) was one of several treaties between Imperial Russia and the Qing Empire in the early modern period, establishing trade agreements and defining the border between Russian Siberia and the Qing territories of Mongolia and Manchuria. It was signed by Tulišen and Count Sava Vladislavich (Raguzinski) at the border city of Kyakhta, August 23, 1727.

The Treaty of Kyakhta set the borders between Russia and China at the Kyakhta and Argun Rivers, and, along with the Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) and Treaty of Aigun (1858) established the borders we know today. It also dealt with the legal and commercial relations of the two nations on the frontier; punishments for specific crimes were delineated, and an Article on the exchange of fugitives was included. In addition, Russian merchants, emporia, and the like in the area would be given a certain degree of extraterritoriality, and acultural allowances. Among other provisions, they were allowed freedom from having to pay tribute to the Emperor. The treaty had three official versions, one Russian, one Latin and one Manchu; no official Chinese version of the treaty exists.

The Treaty had eleven articles, the core of which dealt with commercial relations and diplomatic immunities.

• Articles I and XI spoke of eternal peace and cooperation between the two nations, and concerned itself with the language and organization of the rest of the document.
• Article II dealt with the exchange of fugitives.
• Article III, along with VII, delineated the new borders, leaving only territory along the Ob River, east of the Gorbitsa, unassigned. The fate of this land, according to the treaty, would be determined in the future by ambassadors or further correspondence between the two nations' capitals.
• Article VI dealt with commercial relations; from this treaty and others, Russia gained far more favorable commercial arrangements with the Chinese than most European countries, who traveled by sea and traded at Canton.
• Article V allowed for the establishment of a Russia religious institution in Beijing.
• Article VI, along with IX, concerned itself with the forms and modes of diplomatic intercourse between the two nations, both of which had complex systems of bureaucracy and protocol.
• Article VIII, along with X, discussed the methods and procedures for settling future disputes.

See also

• List of treaties

References

• Perdue, Peter C. China marches west: The Qing conquest of Central Eurasia. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2005.
• Peresvetova, Julianna (January, 1998). Sino-Soviet Amur Conflict, The Inventory of Conflict & Environment case studies, American University, Washington DC. Accessed 23 April 2005.