China’s Arctic Interests Align with the Framework of New Arctic Council Chair’s Agenda

The United States’ agenda as chairman of the Arctic Council starting this year is reported to focus on addressing climate change, improving energy access to remote Arctic regions as well as environmental protection. The emphasis on climate change and environmental protection, beyond geopolitical competition and sovereign rights claims, makes a global consensus on Arctic governance possible, and increases the potential for cooperation between the five Arctic states (or eight polar states) and non-Arctic players including international organizations and individual states, e.g. China.

China’s interests range from participating in Arctic governance affairs, promoting bilateral diplomacy in the Arctic area, accessing potential resources to exploiting shipping opportunities and undertaking polar research. China’s march towards the Arctic region is a low profile one, however, its Arctic strategy is just beginning and it still faces many challenges, one of which is the skepticism from some Arctic coastal states on China’s intention in the Arctic. Being aware of the fact that China does not want to get involved in the Arctic states’ territorial and maritime competition, and for many occasions reiterates that its interests in polar shipping and resources development will be governed by relevant international laws, the skepticism mainly focuses on whether Chinese potential involvement in the Arctic will have an environmental impact. This concern may be addressed through its active involvement in the Arctic research.

China is taking a much more active role in intensifying research in both the Arctic and Antarctic and maintains an active polar research program. Viewing itself as a “near Arctic state,” China perceives the environmental changes and economic development happening in the Arctic as having a significant impact on its climate, ecological environment, and agricultural production as well as social and economic development. China opened its first Arctic scientific research station, Huang He Zhan (Yellow River Station) at Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard in 2004. Furthermore, with the world’s largest non-nuclear research icebreaker, Xue Long, China has embarked on four Arctic research expeditions in recent years into Arctic waters. Chinese research scientists from the fourth research expedition travelled to the North Pole via the vessel’s helicopter on August 20, 2010. Such activities are part of China’s larger polar scientific research effort which has seen a total of 26 expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic since 1984.

China has taken steps to augment Arctic scientific cooperation and governmental dialogue with Norway, and relevant cooperation with Canada and United States. Norway has welcomed China’s increased involvement in polar research. The Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education ToraAasland, who attended the signing ceremony in Shanghai of an agreement on cooperation on polar research in 2010, praised Chinese polar researchers as being one of the best in the world.

The newly released agenda of the United States as the chair of Arctic Council from 2015 reflects the common interests of Arctic states and non-Arctic states. There is a strong and practical need to strengthen international cooperation on Arctic matters, especially on climate change and environmental protection. The interrelations among the Arctic states involve sovereignty issues, jurisdiction claims, resource competition and military capacity expansion, while emerging non-Arctic interests in the region draw into the picture new elements such as access through international shipping, seabed resources exploitation, environmental concern and scientific research. The involvement of non-Arctic states will have a significant effect on the nature of Arctic governance.

Some of the most critical Arctic issues are national, but many of them are regional or trans-regional, concerning environmental impacts of climate change, shipping and resource development, which require a more comprehensive understanding of the causes and impacts of natural variability and human-induced environmental changes in the Arctic. The areas of international Arctic cooperation are continuously expanding, creating enormous potential as well as significant challenges. Arctic cooperation began in the early 1990s with a focus on environmental protection and scientific research, but quickly expanded to encompass sustainable development. Cooperation between Arctic and non-Arctic states has continued to develop on a number of levels, either bilaterally or within the existing frameworks of regional forums and international organizations, on scientific research, environmental protection and sustainable development.

Given that not all of the eight polar states hold the same position regarding the level of participation and future involvement that non-Arctic states should and can have in the region, the effectiveness of the Arctic Council will no doubt be tested in the near future. More attention will be given to how the United States as the new chair will effectively implement its agenda with the priority on the climate change and environmental protection.

(Cover image credits: United Nations.)