It is Kokang and Changchun

　It was not until the end that the two sides began to talk about the Outer Northeast issue.

　It froze a little, after all, it was a sensitive historical topic.

　Aurora stood up first and expressed her deep apology: "I'm sorry, Comrade 586, I tried my best."

　"May I ask why Comrade Aurora said that?" The Chinese leaders present were suddenly confused by Aurora's apology.

　Aurora stood up and slowly sat down again, confessing sincerely, "As an idealist in the field of diplomacy, I have deeply learned the historical lessons of the former Soviet Union in diplomacy. To realize Comrade Lenin's wishes and to repair the relationship between the two countries, I have braved pressure from both inside and outside the party and the abuse of narrow-minded nationalists in the society, and argued for the return of Outer Manchuria to China.

　However, despite my repeated efforts, I was unable to convince the majority of the comrades in the Party Central Committee. As the Chairman of the Soviet Union, I feel deeply guilty for not being able to overcome this reactionary historical inertia and completely eradicate the remaining poison of chauvinism.

　Some comrades within our Party simply can't bring themselves to let go of their pride. I've criticized this repeatedly within the Party: "Did we earn this reputation? It was stolen from Tsarist Russia, a poisonous weed of colonialism! How can we hold something we stole as pride?"

　As Aurora spoke, her eyes became moist. She took out her handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

　The Chinese side sensed from Aurora's words and demeanor that the return was likely on hold. To take Aurora's feelings into consideration, 586 asked gently with a kind gaze:

　"It's okay, Comrade Aurora. Don't be sad. We all understand your difficulties. You have the revolutionary consciousness to make drastic changes, which is already very outstanding. Since Lenin, we haven't seen a Russian leader like you who respects the territorial sovereignty of other countries for a long time. So, what are your plans now?"

　Aurora composed herself and said, "Thank you, Comrade Chairman 586, for your concern. Comrade Zyuganov, hoping to mediate the differences within the Party, has proposed a compromise plan. However, in my opinion, this plan is neither fish nor fowl, and I unequivocally oppose it."

　"A compromise?" The Chinese leaders glanced at each other. "Maybe you can tell me about it."

　Aurora said: "Comrade Zyuganov's proposal is this: the Soviet government will still exercise sovereignty over the Outer Northeast, but will allow Chinese citizens to travel to the Outer Northeast or reside there temporarily without a passport, using only a second-generation Chinese ID card. However, to enter other Soviet territories from the Soviet territory of the Outer Northeast, a passport and visa will be required.

　Second, the Soviet Union would rename major cities like Vladivostok, Blagoveshchensk, and Khabarovsk, converting them to Russian transliterations of their Chinese names. It would also remove any outward cultural trappings of colonialism, such as the statue of Muravyov in Vladivostok.

　At the same time, a memorial hall for the victims of the Hailar and Jiangdong Sixty-Four Tuns Massacre was established. The evidence displayed in the hall was provided jointly by China and the Soviet Union, and the text was written jointly by China and the Soviet Union based on historical facts and guided by Marxism.

　Third, in major cities across Outer Northeast China, small Chinese characters will be added below the Russian text on all government and non-governmental notice boards and billboards, including restaurant menus.

　Fourth, the Vladivostok military port opens the right for Chinese naval and coast guard ships to station and replenish supplies at the port.

　Fifth, the Soviet Union will strengthen economic ties and personnel exchanges between Outer Manchuria and China to better develop the economy of the Far East.

　For other unresolved matters, we will further consult with China and conduct friendly discussions until both sides reach an agreement. To be honest, Comrade 586, I personally don't think this is a good proposal."

　Chapter 271: Issues Left Over from Sino-Soviet History (2)

　After the Chinese side heard Aurora's statement of the Soviet Union's position, every Chinese person in the conference room began to whisper to each other.

　After a brief one-minute internal exchange, Foreign Minister Qin Gang looked at 586, and 586 gave him an affirmative look.

　Qin Gang straightened his sitting posture, placed his hands on the table in a meeting gesture, and said to Aurora, "Comrade Aurora, let me express China's attitude towards the Northeast issue on its behalf.

　Since you have so proactively and sincerely proposed the return of the Outer Manchuria territory, we will speak frankly and tell you our true thoughts.

　From the perspective of historical issues, if the sovereignty of Outer Manchuria could return to China, it would certainly be the best outcome and would completely resolve the historical issues between China and the Soviet Union.

　But diplomatic issues often require more than ideals; they must also consider practical realities. Due to historical reasons known to both sides, the original inhabitants of Outer Manchuria have almost completely disappeared. Other ethnic groups, primarily Russians, have migrated here and have lived in this area for over 160 years.

　Over the past 160 years, local residents have developed their own ways of production and living, as well as their own sentiments and material and non-material cultures related to this land. If we directly exercise sovereignty over them, how will the local residents feel, how will they react, and what will be their future?

　If they are sent back to Russia after being returned to Outer Northeast China, it would be equivalent to saying goodbye to the place where their ancestors lived forever for the local residents.

　Moreover, in the entire Far East, Outer Northeast is the most developed. Other places in the Far East are very desolate and cannot support the 500 million people of Outer Northeast to live, work and live there. In addition, large-scale population migration, resettlement and ideological work will certainly cause many problems for you.

　easy.

　Asking local residents to renounce their Russian citizenship and adopt Chinese citizenship would be even more problematic. No matter how you handle it, we are all people of the same ethnicity and culture. And our work with the residents of Outer Manchuria also involves dealing with ethnic conflicts, religious issues, customs, language communication, and so on.

　Furthermore, from a strategic perspective, Outer Manchuria, with Vladivostok at its core, is the Far East's economic, cultural, scientific, and military hub. In recent years, especially since the beginning of last year, your country has been experiencing economic downturns due to the Russo-Ukrainian war and civil war. Under these circumstances, the loss of Outer Manchuria, this economic hub of the Far East, would further deteriorate your national economy, and the Far East's in particular.

　Furthermore, you mentioned that there are many voices of dissent within and outside your party, government, and the public. Given that you are still in a state of civil war, social stability in the rear is crucial. Immediately returning the weapons would be detrimental to your social stability.

　To sum up, the Outer Manchuria issue is different from the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan issue. So, from a practical perspective, your proposal is the most practical from the perspective of either side.

　After Aurora and the other Soviet representatives listened carefully, they said, "Well... we understand the reasons. What is your ultimate intention?"

　Foreign Minister Qin said: "We accept your proposal, but before that, we hope to add two more requirements on the basis of this proposal."

　"please say."

　"First, we hope that you can return the entire Heixiazi Island. Second, we hope that you can give Jilin Province an outlet to the sea." Foreign Minister Qin put forward China's conditions.

　"Of course," Aurora replied immediately. "Relocating five million people is a huge challenge, but relocating the few hundred people in the villages on Heixiazi Island and the sparse permanent population near the port of Kosa Nazimova is not a problem."

　After the two sides reached an agreement, 586 smiled and said, "Comrade Aurora's visit is a crucial milestone in resolving the historical issues between the two sides. Do you have any other requests of us? As long as they are reasonable and within our capabilities, China will honor them."

　"Outer Manchuria originally belonged to China. The Soviet Union is not Portugal. We have no reason to use the return of Outer Manchuria as a bargaining chip in exchange for other benefits from China.

　On the contrary, I once again feel deeply guilty about the Russian Communist Party and the Soviet government's failure to achieve a thorough self-revolution in foreign affairs," Aurora responded candidly.

　Aurora's reaction made the Chinese leaders feel both amused and helpless. Should they say that Aurora's ideas on diplomacy were naive and totally different from what one would think at her physical age?

　This is a great thing for China. However, such diplomats are rarely seen in the international diplomatic arena, and yet China happened to have one.

　Since the Opium War, China has constantly faced the diplomatic tantrums of European and American capitalist/imperialist powers, either hypocrites or true villains. Now, suddenly encountering a nice guy is somewhat unsettling.

　After all, there are probably not many politicians in this world who, despite the pressure from the domestic public and political circles, voluntarily proposed to return the occupied territories without asking for anything in return. If they got together, they might not even be able to play a game of mahjong.

　With this in mind, China feels that if it does not give corresponding benefits, it would be really unfair to the honest people; others may not want it, but we cannot not give it.

　Foreign Minister Qin then cleverly said, "Comrade Aurora, this has nothing to do with the return of Outer Manchuria. We are asking this question out of the desire to strengthen cooperation in various fields between our two countries and deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era.

　In this regard, I believe Comrade Aurora must have something to ask of us."

　Aurora hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously, "Well...if I have to say there is, it is. We hope that China can provide us with military support in the civil war. I was thinking that this might violate your Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, so I didn't mention it."

　When Foreign Minister Qin heard this, he felt that it was difficult for him to make a decision on this request, so he looked at 586 for advice.

　586 naturally knew Foreign Minister Qin's expression. He asked carefully, "Could you please state your request in more detail?"

　"Please rest assured, we will not seek weapons support from China. What we need is information support so that we can grasp all the strategic developments of the White Army." Aurora dispelled 586's doubts.

　586 did not give a direct answer, but began to explain the concept: "Internal affairs, in essence, are the manifestation of the state exercising its supreme power over the territory under its jurisdiction. In other words, all matters stipulated by the state in its constitution and laws, that is, matters that essentially fall under the jurisdiction of state sovereignty, are the state's internal affairs.

　Interference refers to the use of political, economic, or even military means by one or more countries to achieve their own goals, directly or indirectly, openly or covertly, to change the internal and external affairs of another country, so as to make the interfered country act in accordance with the intentions of the interfering country and change the guidelines and policies implemented by the interfered country.

　After explaining the concept, the feedback to the other party was given: "Our provision of information support does not change the provisions of the Soviet Constitution and laws, the Constitution and Rules of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, nor does it change the internal and external affairs of the Soviet Union, nor does it force the Soviet Union to use force to achieve the victory of the revolution.

　For the purpose of unifying the military pace of all Russia.

　Moreover, we have already provided the Soviet Union with a missile destroyer girl as a volunteer soldier, so requesting information support is understandable. After all, the faster unification, the sooner the war ends, and the smaller the losses. This will benefit your economy, society, politics, and the people's well-being.

　Then 586 waved his hand and said, "At the same time, considering Comrade Aurora as a sincere communist, we will also send a military advisor to help the Soviet Union resolve its doubts on the road to military unification."

　A flattered Afula expressed joy and admiration, and thanked 586: "I am deeply grateful for the assistance provided by China, represented by Comrade 586. I sincerely hope that China will realize its goal of building a modern socialist country as scheduled and achieve its second centenary goal. I also hope that the Sino-Soviet friendship will last forever and remain unbreakable."

　……

　After the talks, the heads of state of China and the Soviet Union jointly signed the "Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on Further Developing the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the New Era"

　Thanks to the unremitting efforts of both sides, China-Soviet relations have been upgraded to an all-weather comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. The Soviet Union has become the third country after Pakistan and Belarus to establish an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China.

　At this point, the friendly diplomatic relations between China and the Soviet Union reached their highest level in history and continued to develop.

　Both sides pointed out that contemporary Sino-Soviet relations are not a military and political alliance similar to the Cold War era, but rather transcend this model of state relations and are non-aligned, non-confrontational, and not directed against third countries.

　Contemporary China-Soviet relations are mature, stable, independent, and resilient. They have withstood the test of the COVID-19 pandemic and a volatile international situation, remaining unaffected by external influences and demonstrating vibrant vitality. The generations-long friendship between the two peoples has a solid foundation, and the all-round cooperation between the two countries has broad prospects.

　The joint statement also gave a slap in the face to some "geopoliticians" and narrow-minded nationalists in both China and the Soviet Union. It stated: "The Soviet Union needs a prosperous and stable China, and China needs a strong and successful Soviet Russia."

　This statement directly negates the popular view on the Chinese Internet that "the half-dead Russians are the good Russians", which is full of the decadent flavor of bourgeois geopolitics and is like the British balance of power, a diplomatic view that stirs up trouble.

　The joint statement also noted that the Soviet Union supports China in achieving Chinese-style modernization. China supports the Soviet Union in achieving the development goals of its 13th Five-Year Plan. (The previous 12 Five-Year Plans were from the Soviet era.)

　In short, Aurora's visit to China has brought the friendship and cooperation between China and the Soviet Union to an unprecedented level.

　----------------

　After the talks, Aurora planned to take advantage of this visit to China to travel around Beijing and experience the world-famous Chinese cuisine and the long-standing customs and culture.

　Before departure, the Soviet delegation received an invitation from the Chinese authorities to a state banquet in the evening at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

　After receiving the notice, Aurora said with a smile, "Luckily I'm a ship. Otherwise, I'd have eaten a bunch of snacks outside this afternoon and wouldn't have had enough food for the state banquet."

　Therefore, she was the only one who went to the snack street with Aurora in the afternoon, while the other accompanying personnel of the delegation stayed in the lounge with empty stomachs.

　What? You mean the security guards? Aurora dismissed them all with trumped-up excuses.

　"Okay, okay... Thank you Chinese comrades for your thoughtful consideration, but it's better to leave this thing to those who really need it~" Aurora said, shirking the responsibility of the accompanying security guards sent by China.

　There was no other way. China could only send comrades from Anshan and the National Security Bureau to follow Aurora secretly. If something really happened to Aurora, it would be a big deal.

　In order to avoid attracting too much attention, Aurora changed into an outfit that was as ordinary as could be, put on a mask and sunglasses, and let down her waist-length double braids of silver hair, rolled them up and tied them on her head.

　After getting ready, Aurora took public transportation to the famous Wangfujing Street, intending to taste the legendary Beijing roast duck, relying on her two months of learning Chinese, which was just enough for daily communication.

　However, Aurora didn't seem to be very interested in big brands like Quanjude, Siji Minfu, and Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant. She just took a look at the exterior of the store and left.

　"There are so many people here. Is there a store with fewer people?" Aurora didn't want to eat in a big restaurant with a lot of people. She wanted to have some peace and quiet for a while, so she found a small roadside store to eat.

　Chapter 272 Roast Duck, Noodles with Gravy, and State Banquet

　Hard work pays off, and Aurora finally found a small shop that was not very eye-catching.

　"Well, this one doesn't look very crowded, let's go this one." Aurora said as she walked into the store.

　The shop is small, with only four round tables in the main hall. Although it is a restaurant, it gives people a strong sense of food stalls.

　Perhaps because it wasn't dinner time yet and the restaurant wasn't particularly eye-catching, there were only two people dining in the entire restaurant. Aurora chose an empty table, pulled out the wooden chair in front of it, and sat down.

　"Are there customers?" The boss, who was sitting at the cashier counting the bills, noticed that a customer had arrived. He stood up and called to the kitchen, "Xiao Zhang, there are customers."

　"Come on, come on

　"How many people are there?" A waitress came out from the kitchen, poured a cup of hot water, took a menu and hurried over to Aurora.

　"I'm the only one here." Aurora gave a standard answer like a Chinese textbook, and raised her index finger in case the waiter didn't understand.

　It was not until the waiter Xiao Zhang came closer that she realized that the visitor was a foreigner, but she was not surprised, as foreigners are quite common in Beijing.

　When he put the menu and tea in front of Aurora, Xiao Zhang suddenly remembered that foreigners were not used to drinking hot water.

　"Sorry, I'll change the water for you right away." Xiao Zhang said as he was about to turn around and pour Aurora another glass of cold water.

　Aurora extended her hand and advised, "Hey, comrade, there's no need to change. I can drink hot water. Others may not be used to it, but I am."

　After hearing Aurora's affirmation that she could drink the hot water, Xiao Zhang put the hot water in front of Aurora again.

　"Here is the menu. Could you please take a look at what dishes you would like to order?" Xiao Zhang was quite curious when he heard the foreigner in front of him call him comrade. He wanted to ask, but work came first, so he decided to ask what dishes he wanted to order.

　Aurora said, "Do you have Peking duck? I want a Peking duck."

　"Yes, I've noted down the roast duck for you. Do you want any other dishes?" The waiter Xiao Zhang was writing down the order on the menu.

　Roast duck alone is not enough, we must order other side dishes, Aurora thought so, she opened the menu, and the result of the menu made Aurora dumbfounded.

　"This...this...why is this different from what I learned?" Aurora looked at the menu with fancy names, confused.

　It’s okay that you can’t understand the fancy names of the dishes, but the key point is that this menu is almost entirely text, without even a single picture.

　In the distance, Anshan, who was secretly observing under orders, noticed that Aurora was stunned for a moment when looking at the menu. He jokingly said inwardly, "It seems that Comrade Aurora is most likely confused by the names of the dishes. The names of dishes in Chinese restaurants are really confusing to foreigners who are not proficient in Chinese."

　[Menu in Chinese textbooks for foreigners: rice, noodles, chicken, beef, vegetables...

　Chinese restaurant menu: Fish-flavored shredded pork, honey-glazed barbecued pork, Maoxuewang (Chinese blood soup), Jiuzhuan large intestine, three fresh delicacies...

　Anshan controlled his urge to go up and help Aurora translate the names of the dishes and continued his observation mission.

　When the waiter Xiao Zhang saw Aurora struggling, he immediately apologized: "I'm sorry, I saw you speak Chinese, and I thought you could understand the Chinese menu. I'll go get an English one now."

　Aurora thought to herself, "Ah, such a small place has an English menu? But in a developed international city like Beijing, that's normal."

　"Um...um...is there a Russian menu?" Aurora hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to give it a try and ask the waiter.

　She remembered that back when the Soviet Union was still around, many people in China were learning Russian. She didn't know what the situation was like now, but perhaps some restaurants actually had Russian menus?

　The waiter expressed regret and asked, "No... Are you Russian, miss?"

　Aurora nodded in agreement and decided not to look at the menu. As for the English menu, her English wasn't very good, so she probably wouldn't be able to use it.

　Aurora asked the waiter for recommendations. She composed her words and asked, "What are some good dishes and staple foods here? Please help me choose."

　The waiter understood that Aurora wanted her to recommend dishes herself, so she said, "The roast duck just now is the best dish. As for the main course, I think the noodles with gravy are the best."