756 Chapter 6
Harbin and the Chinese Eastern Railway had effectively fallen under total Russian
control. General Dmitri Horvath, local Russian administrator of Harbin, was unpopu-
lar on several fronts, especially among communists in Harbin. On December 4, 1917,
the Bolshevik government gave the order to the Bolsheviks in Harbin to seize power.
China used the turmoil in St. Petersburg and events in Harbin to its advantage. The
turmoil allowed the Chinese to intervene before the Japanese, who also had a presence
in the area, could move first. Meng en-Yuan moved in after December 19, aiming to
prop Horvath, suppress the Bolsheviks and recapture administration of the Chinese
Eastern Railway. Russia, reeling from World War I and the turmoil at home, offered
no resistance. The Soviets tried to bargain the position of Horvath, whom they ordered
sacked, with the Chinese. Meanwhile, China suspected that Japanese troops were
pouring into Harbin for an intervention of their own and gave Russia an ultimatum on
December 24 to evacuate the city. Russia acquiesced. Russian troops were disarmed
on December 26 and returned to Russia.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from December 5, 1917.
MID#2700
Dispute Number: 2700
Date(s): July 1919 to October 25, 1919
Participants: 710 China/365 Russia
Outcome (and Settlement): Yield by side A (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: With the Allied intervention in Russia, China seized the opportunity to
recover the right of navigation through the Amur. In July 1919 Chinese warships
moved into Vladivostok on their way north. At the same time the Russians asserted
that in no current treaty or international norm did Chinese warships have the right
to enter Russian waters. The Russians threatened the Chinese with violence, but, on
August 20, four Chinese vessels followed by Japanese torpedo boats sailed north
toward the Amur. On September 17, the Russians allowed the ships to take shelter at
Nikolaevsk but warned not to go further. The Chinese decided to go against the Rus-
sian request and sailed north on October 18. They were fired upon on October 25 by
one of Kalmykovs Ussuri Cossack units and had to go back to Nikolaevsk.
MID#3259
Dispute Number: 3259
Date(s): March 1921 to September 1921
Participants: 365 Russia/710 China
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side A (Imposed)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: This dispute describes another Sino-Soviet conflict shortly after the Rus-
sian Civil War in which Russia wrested a stretch of territory claimed by the Qing
Dynasty. Tangnuwulianghai (better known as Tuva) represented the northernmost
territory claimed by the Republic of China. While the area was essentially an Outer
Mongolian hinterland, the arrival of Russian colonists though the 19th century turned