ed and comprehensive, including social justice, ecological balance. Now, they have made their intentions clear to expand in the Arctic region. Agnis Driksna, "Progress of Rail Baltica Design Activities in Latvia," 23 January 2018, Y, President of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) and. Huawei office in Oslo [Photo by Marc Lanteigne] by Marc Lanteigne Over the past five years, China has been seeking to place its own diplomatic and economic stamp on the Arctic, via what has, since 2018, been frequently referred to as the ‘Ice’ or ‘Polar Silk Road’ (Bingshang Sichouzhilu 冰上丝绸之路), or PSR. Zhen, Liu: China reveals ’Polar Silk Road’ ambition in Arctic policy white paper. the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. In the past decades, climate change has been affecting the reduction of ice coverage in the Arctic Ocean and thus providing opportunities for the development of commercial navigation. "China is an important stakeholder in Arctic affairs. Reuters, "A Chinese Cargo Ship Specially Built for the Arctic has Embarked on its, Finest Link Helsinki-Tallinn Transport Link Feasibility StudyÀ À ÀFinal report. research community with an opportunity to reassess goals, potentials, and needs within the diverse disciplinary and transdisciplinary currents of social science research across the circumpolar North. A Polar Silk Road would be built and would be integrated with the country's multi billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Meanwhile, China attaches great importance to, navigation security along the PSR; it has conducted a number of studies on, the Arctic shipping routes and continually strengthened hydro-graphic, capacity in the Arctic region. In the White Paper, China had claimed the Arctic is the "Polar Silk Road" connecting Asia and Europe with the expansion of China's ambitious Belt and Road initiative(BRI). The White Paper outlines China’s ambitious plan to develop a Polar Silk Road across the Arctic. challenges alongside business opportunities. Moreover, China abides by the P, supports the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in playing an. 3.5 percent of global LNG output, producing 11 million tons a year, with, two expansion projects (by 5.5 million and 1 million tons per year, re-, spectively) to be fully operational by 2020. Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and China, com, one of the largest Chinese telecommunication operators, are collab-, orating with Finnish, Russian, Japanese and Norwegian partners in, In another recent example, leading Chinese companies, Meeting between Chinese Premier and Russian Prime Minister,], 2015, http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-12/18/c. Recent commitments of investment indicate that, China would support Russia to better exploit the NSR and other parts of the, sea routes in the Arctic based on the principles of sustainability and win-, countries have scaled up economic cooperation in the Arctic, including, known as Arctic LNG-1, has been designed to meet China, eration at the end of 2017, Yamal LNG is an integrated project encom-. As such, an important role integrates the Trans-Siberian Railroad which stretches from China's inner domestic railroads through to Europe via Russia-formalized as the Northern Path (Wang, 2016; A Chinese Cargo Ship Specially Built for the Arctic has Embarked on its, Yamal LNG Project," November 2, 2017, http://www.mol.co.jp/en/pr/2017/17075.html. The paper ends up with a discussion of current capacities, potential opportunities, and major challenges for China and Russia to break through in joint research and education projects for the benefit of development and exploration of the Arctic. China on Friday outlined its plan to extend its Belt and Road initiative to the Arctic with the “Polar Silk Road”. It then proceeds to, January 30, 2018, https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-30/don-t-fear-china-s-, Independent, January 26, 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-, polar-silk-road-arctic-xi-jinping-shipping-global-warming-a8178891.html; and Emily Feng. In addition to these, the authors address opportunities and gaps in collaboration in economic, social, and regional development studies, as well as maritime engineering, shipbuilding technologies, and the studies on natural resources. China published a white paper on its Arctic policy Friday, pledging cooperative governance and elaborating a vision of "Polar Silk Road." Important Strategic Partner of the Joint Construction of the `Belt and Road, cooperation in infrastructure building and operation of the Arctic sea routes, by jointly building the PSR. Derek Moscato . Gbtimes, June 13, 2018, https://gbtimes.com/china-pledges-10bn-to-silk-road-arctic-projects-, Observer, June 12, 2018, https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/arctic/2018/06/chinese-money-, Further information on the Arctic Corridor is available at its o, the railway and sent southward through rail connections in Helsinki, and. pletes-usd-150-million-equity-and-debt-funding/. This paper contributes to the literature by moving beyond internal factors, including island types, sizes, and peripheralities, to explore how external factors, namely foreign linkages in international politics, from an alternative geopolitical perspective. SHANGHAI — China will construct a “Polar Silk Road” and actively participate in the development of Arctic and Antarctic regions, it said in its new 2021-2025 five-year plan published on Friday. In this paper, the authors summarise priorities and objectives of China and Russia in research and education agenda in the Arctic and reveal promising areas for the two countries to collaborate in multidisciplinary areas of Arctic studies, including environment and climate, ecosystems and ecology, geology and geophysics, hydrology and sea ice. Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. And competitive advantage could relate to yesterday’s industries not today’s arenas. The Transpolar Sea Route (TSR) would represent a third Arctic shipping route in addition to the Northern Sea Route and Northwest Passage. The white paperstresses China's commitment to upholding the institutional and legal framework for Arctic governance and to respecting the sovereign rights of the Arctic states.On the other hand, The paper has stated that China “respects the current powers of the Arctic States in the waters subject to their jurisdiction”, which is covered by treaties and general international laws such as the Charter of the United Nations, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Spitsbergen Treaty. In 2015, China and Russia decided to strengthen their partnership on, satellite navigation, particularly between the GLONASS system and the, enhancing system functions, building station network for applications, and. China has made clear its intention to expand in the Arctic region and published a white paper on this in early 2018 calling for its transformation into a Polar Silk Road and highlighting its plans to integrate with its multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). million tons each. 'If you want peace, prepare for war': Russia ready to cut ties with EU over sanctions, asserts Lavrov In particular, it comprises construction of an LNG plant with an expected annual output. The Polar Silk Road white paper contains no fewer than 10 direct references to the point that Arctic development must be governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In the third part, it considers China, nomic opportunities in the Nordic Arctic, particularly those generated by, the Arctic Corridor program proposed by Finland and Norway, cluded that Chinese companies will face many social and environmental, challenges in Nordic countries and thus need to behave as responsible, stakeholders with local communities, in order to achieve sustainable de-, The Polar Silk Road: From Idea to Reality, Emergency Management, at a themed conference called, the time. A unified framework and four observations are presented, illustrating strategic risks and operational challenges associated with the BRI. Arctic Ocean”. Even though China isn’t an Arctic country it believes it is an important player in the region. Meanwhile, air travel from China to Finland has grown, Observer, November 21, 2017, https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/travel/2017/11/record-. Existing literature has placed a strong emphasis on foreign linkages for the sustainability of island territories. ights, topping all other European airlines. It projects a model for the identification of the term driving forces of two economies, tracing their respective future synergies and deriving synergy-rooted strategies. Over the past few years, China has achieved policy ; MELTING ICE A BUSINESS PROSPECT FOR CHINA. Wishnick, Elizabeth: China’s Interests and Goals in the Arctic: Implications for the United States. It plans to launch the satellite in 2022. The causality links between the Shipping Connectivity Index (SCI) and the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, trade volumes with China and the rest of the world, and price indexes of minerals, fuels, food, and agricultural products are revealed separately for eight countries and thirty-five ports. Photo: A Chinese ice-class cargo ship crossed the Bering Strait on August 17, 2018, starting its maiden voyage in the Arctic's Northeast Passage, a waterway known as the "Polar Silk Road ." partners in Northern Europe. content/uploads/jkrautatiekiinascr02.pdf. an ultra-deep, large fjord port with dry and calm inland climate, accessible and operative for conventional, non ice-class vessels under all. In 2018, the White Paper on China's Arctic Policy further pointed out that China is willing to rely on the development and utilization of the Arctic shipping routes to build the “Polar Silk Road” with all parties. "China is an important stakeholder in Arctic affairs. The Arctic social science research community is at a momentous point when (1) several key domains of. He can also be reached at yangjian@siis.org.cn.