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Ukraine
ChinaDiplomacy

What next for China’s Polar Silk Road as Russian invasion of Ukraine sparks Arctic freeze?

  • Arctic Council boycott of chair member Russia seen to cast shadow over wider regional cooperation in North Pole
  • As a self-declared near-Arctic state, China faces a delicate balancing act regarding main polar partner, analysts say

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A Chinese research team sets up equipment near the icebreaker Xuelong, or “Snow Dragon”, in the Arctic Ocean. Photo: Xinhua
Laura Zhou
China must exercise caution in navigating Arctic cooperation with Russia, observers say, as the invasion of Ukraine overshadows international collaboration in the polar region and puts a freeze on Arctic Council activities.
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Seven of the eight Arctic Council members – all bar Russia, the current rotating chair – have announced a boycott of meetings, including upcoming talks in Russia, over the country’s “flagrant violation” of the body’s core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The March 3 joint statement – from the US, Canada, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – places a question mark over the future of the leading inter-governmental forum for Arctic states.

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Established in 1996, the Arctic Council facilitates cooperation, collaboration and interaction over issues affecting the far North, including resource management, conservation, pollution as well as the impact of climate change melting polar ice caps.

China is not an Arctic state but is an observer along with 12 other countries. It has in recent years stepped up cooperation in the region with strategic partner Russia, as melting ice opens up new shipping lanes that China has dubbed the Polar Silk Road.

02:27

Russia wants to build up its Arctic route with China, its top diplomat to Beijing says

Russia wants to build up its Arctic route with China, its top diplomat to Beijing says
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