evidence: Once negotiations were concluded, Tarabarov Island and part of the Abagaitu Islet were relinquished by Russia, and Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island was divided in half. The agreement was ratified in 2005, and it came into effect on October 14, 2008. In both the Russian Federation and the Republic of China, the agreement was unpopular because of the mutual loss of territory. Russian Cossacks protested the division of Bolshoy Ussuriyski Island in 2005. Media outlets in Taiwain and Hong Kong were critical of the agreement, as they felt the islands were Chinese territory forever lost to Russia. Furthermore, Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island is still claimed by Taiwan. Despite the unpopularity of the agreement, the Russian Federation and the Republic of China consider the agreement to be a success. The border between the two states is now definitively declared, and economic cooperation in the region has been increased.