Monday, January 29, 2018

China Unveils It's 'Polar Silk Road' Ambitions For The Arctic



SCMP: China reveals ‘Polar Silk Road’ ambition in Arctic policy white paper

Beijing will encourage companies to build infrastructure and conduct commercial trial voyages that will ‘bring opportunities’ to the region

Beijing on Friday released its first official Arctic policy white paper, outlining its ambition for a “Polar Silk Road” amid growing concerns over China’s activities in the region.

Days after Beijing extended President Xi Jinping’s belt and road trade plan to Latin America, Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said China would encourage companies to build infrastructure and conduct commercial trial voyages that would “bring opportunities to the Arctic”.

Kong said Beijing considered itself an important stakeholder in the Arctic, a region that mattered to the entire international community.

“Regarding the role China will play in Arctic affairs, I want to emphasise two points. One is that we will not interfere, second is that we will not to be absent,” Kong told reporters in Beijing.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I do not know how the Russians will overall respond to China's ambitions to develop the Arctic (Russia has agreed with China to develop one gas field), but I do know that among the native people in Alaska/Greenland/ and Canada the response will be overwhelmingly negative. Take this as a given .... if there is one thing that I know about the people up north .... they will not want to see their environment up-ended because China has ambitions to develop it.



More News On China Unveiling It's 'Polar Silk Road' Ambitions For The Arctic

China to develop Arctic shipping routes opened by global warming -- BBC
China unveils vision for 'Polar Silk Road' across Arctic -- Reuters
China unveils plan for Polar Silk Road across Arctic -- Global Times
China Pushes ‘Polar Silk Road’ Into Arctic -- China Digital Times
China Focus: China publishes Arctic policy, eyeing vision of "Polar Silk Road" -- Xinhuanet
China unveils plan for 'Polar Silk Road' across the Arctic -- The Independent
China Infrastructure Push Reaches Arctic, Further Isolating U.S. -- Bloomberg
China reveals Arctic ambitions with plan for ‘Polar Silk Road’ -- Financial Times
Introducing The "Polar Silk Road" - China's Latest Arctic Power Grab -- Zero Hedge

1 comment:

Jay Farquharson said...

Helps to take a good close look at the map linked in the article.

China's focus is going to be on developing support facilities for the NorthEast Passage shipping route.

All those narrow, shallow passages, with low lying islands and reefs, make the NorthWest Passage 1500 nautical miles longer than the NorthEast Passage, and 1000 times more treacherous.