Battles & Campaigns · 1881
Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)
Saint Petersburg, Russia
What happened
Marquis Zeng Jize for Qing China and Nikolay Giers for Russia signed the treaty. Russia had occupied the Ili region of Xinjiang since 1871. An earlier treaty in 1879 gave Russia so much that the Chinese court was outraged. Zeng Jize went to Saint Petersburg and negotiated a new treaty in which Russia returned most of Ili, in exchange for a payment.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was seen in China as a diplomatic victory over Russia. The border it set in the Ili valley is still today's border between Kazakhstan and China.
What came next
Russian troops left the region in 1883. Several thousand Dungan and Taranchi families moved to Russian territory.
Did you know?
Zeng Jize was the son of the famous Qing minister Zeng Guofan and learned English.
Timeline
- 1871Russia occupies the Ili region.
- 1879Treaty of Livadia.
- 24 February 1881Treaty of Saint Petersburg.
- March 1883Russia leaves the province.