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TheTreaty of Kulja (also spelledKuldja;Chinese:中俄伊犁塔爾巴哈臺通商章程;Russian:Кульджинский трактат) was a treaty betweenQing China and theRussian Empire, signed in 1851, opening Kulja (Huiyuan and laterNingyuan) andChuguchak to Sino-Russian trade. Prepared by the first Russian consul toChina,Ivan Zakharov, the treaty was preceded by a gradual Russian advance throughout the nineteenth century intoKazakhstan in direct competition with British efforts to impose self-advantageous trade terms on China.[1]
Cross-border trade became increasingly important to Russia and China in the 19th century with Russian merchants trading illegally atKulja inXinjiang'sYili River Valley. In 1803,Tsar Alexander I attempted to negotiate the opening of the entire Sino-Russian border to trade. This effort failed, however, when the Tsar's representative refused tokow-tow to a tablet representing the Emperor.
Preceded by a gradual Russian advance throughout the 19th century intoKazakhstan, in direct competition with British efforts to impose self-advantageous trade terms on China, the treaty was signed on July 25, 1851, by theGeneral of Ili and his assistant.[2] Under its terms Kulja (Huiyuan and later Ningyuan) and Chuguchak (modernTacheng) were opened to Russian trade. However the Qing court denied the Russian request to include trading in Kashgar.[3]
The treaty also allowed Russian merchants to trade and Russian consuls to reside in the Xinjiang towns of Yili (Huiyuan before 1863 and Ningyuan after 1882) and Tarbagatai.[4] Russian trade with Xinjiang flourished andAlma Ata was founded in 1854 to become an important link in this trade.
While the treaty primarily legalized ongoing practice,[3] it also recognized the growing Russian presence inCentral Asia. China's defenses on this border had been greatly neglected since the start of the 19th century.
The official text of the treaty was written inRussian,French andManchu; the original treaty did not have an officialChinese version.
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