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Chinese Confront Russia in Bering Strait
February - The Russian Federation government has announced that a military confrontation has occurred in the Bering Strait between Russian Federation naval and coastal defenses and a Chinese warship. A heavily-armed Chinese icebreaker, the Zhuhai, was sent by Beijing to reconnoiter the Arctic in preparation for further expeditions, including alleged commercial exploitation and an attempt to intrude upon the Northern Sea Route.
According to sources in Petrograd, Russian military forces urgently requested the Chinese warship to turn around as it passed into the Russian security zone in the Bering Strait, defended by coastal batteries on Ostrov Ratmanova (also known as Big Diomede Island), which fired several warning shots. Although initially stopping in response to the warning shots, the icebreaker moved into the waters on the American side of the strait, and attempted to finish transiting to the Arctic Ocean. The Russian cruiser Admiral Senyavin and the American icebreaker-guardship Bear, under threat of force, then escorted the Chinese warship back south, where it is now believed to be returning to Chinese waters.
The incident marks an extremely serious Chinese affront to the Russian Federation, which, at the moment, is one of the few neighboring powers that retains normal diplomatic and economic relations with Beijing. President Fyodorov and Chairman of the Government Sergeyev both, however, advised caution and indicated that every diplomatic effort would be made to bring relations with China back to a solid footing.
Chinese Expel Russian Ambassador
February - In the aftermath of the Bering Straits Incident of February 5th, the Chinese prime minister expelled Grigori Adamov, the senior Russian diplomat to Beijing, declaring him persona non grata. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Adamov attempted to leave after having received the prime minister's statement, and delivering a Russian response. The Chinese prime minister took affront at the Russian government's request for caution and restraint, and attempted to bully Adamov with insulting language, attempting to force him to overstep his instructions from the President and the Foreign Ministry. Having no success at baiting Ambassador Adamov into an argument, the prime minister ordered Adamov ejected from China.
In a public statement, Peterhof declared that the President found Ambassador Adamov's behavior as 'highly satisfactory' and criticized the Chinese government's "poor foresight" in ejecting an ambassador who could help negotiate a conclusion to an ongoing crisis.
Responding to questions from reporters, the government's spokesman stated that the Russian Federation would not retaliate for Ambassador Adamov's ejection by similarly ejecting Chinese Ambassador Jhijun Lin from Russia. "Unlike the Chinese, we do not feel expelling ambassadors is a profitable or wise move to respond to a crisis."
Bit disappointed there were no waves of tanks heading for Beijing but I'll keep the popcorn close just in case!
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Joint Franco-Russian Declaration of February 10, 1948
The Republic of France and the Russian Federation, after grave deliberations, have announced that they have determined the following:
Firstly, that the Republic of China (now known as the Empire of China, and hereafter as China) has violated the Pact of Neutrality between France, China, and Russia (hereafter referred to as the Neutrality Treaty) in their relations with neighboring powers. This article, having stated the high contracting parties intention to refrain from threat or use of force in their relations with other parties, was violated by China during their military occupation of the Kalayaan Islands, and served as the casus belli of the South China Sea War.
Secondly, that China violated Article I by unspoken threat of force during the extended crisis preceding the Sino-Korean War, which invited a Korean response.
Thirdly, that China committed an act of aggression by sending an armed military ship to the Bering Strait, in defiance of repeated requests by the Russian Federation to desist, as such an action represented a strategic challenge to Russian interests. This action resulted in the Bering Straits Incident.
Fourthly, that China has chosen to nullify the treaty, citing the Russian Federation's security response to the Bering Straits Incident, referred to in point three, thus ignoring Article II, which requires the disputing parties to submit the matter of dispute to arbitration.
Fifthly, that China has ejected the Russian Federation's ambassador to Beijing in response to Russian diplomatic efforts to address the situation.
Sixthly, that the Republic of France and the Russian Federation are already within their rights under Article V of the Neutrality Pact to abrogate the treaty for the reasons cited in points one and two, and possibly three.
Therefore,
Firstly, the Republic of France and the Russian Federation submit the matter to arbitration by a member state of the League of Nations, within thirty days of this pronouncement.
Secondly, the Republic of France and the Russian Federation request as arbitrators the United States, Great Britain, or Germany, in decreasing order of preference.
Thirdly, being in gross violation of the Neutrality Treaty, if China does not accept the previously-mentioned request for arbitration within one month, the Republic of France and the Russian Federation will declare said treaty null and void, effective March 10th, 1948.
Japan notices that all three nations mentioned for the potential role as arbitrator in the matter are former members of the Eight-Nation Alliance and therefore cannot be trusted to be neutral in this matter even if almost 50 years have passed since the Boxer Rebellion. Japan feels that a League of Nations member with little issues or conflicts with China would be better qualified as arbitrator. Due to certain events known to all, Japan has no love for China, who time and again have shown their evil, hostile and unfair nature. However, if the League of Nations were to allow the United States, Great Britain, or Germany to be the arbitrator in the matter, then the League of Nations would be no better than China and that is something that Japan cannot and will not accept.
(OOC that is just Japan's opinion. I think that since they are no longer a LoN member, China might feel that no matter which nation is selected, all LoN member would be biassed, more likely to rule in favor of LoN members Russia and France rather than being truly neutral in the matter)
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