The 1881 Treaty of Ili returned a vast desert territory from Russia to China
The 1881 Treaty of Ili resolved a tense border standoff between the Qing Dynasty and the Russian Empire, resulting in the peaceful return of a strategically vital territory to China.
In 1881, China and Russia signed the Treaty of Ili to settle a decade-long dispute over the Ili River valley. Russia had occupied the region during a local rebellion, and for years, it seemed that the two empires were on the brink of an all-out war over the vast desert landscape.
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