China laid out for the first time its Arctic policy in a White Paper, at a time when global warming is creating new economic opportunities that are drawing other non-Arctic nations to the frigid polar region..
China laid out for the first time its Arctic policy in a White Paper, at a time when global warming is creating new economic opportunities that are drawing other non-Arctic nations to the frigid polar region.
The carefully worded blueprint positions China as an important stakeholder in the Arctic, being a «near-Arctic» state affected by changes to the natural conditions there. The impact on China’s climate system and ecological environment in turn affects its economic activity such as agriculture and fishing, it said.
It notes that China, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has a responsibility to promote the peace and security of the region.
The White Paper released yesterday comes at a time when China’s activities in the Arctic region have increased and expanded from scientific research to include those that are economic, particularly with Arctic shipping routes opening.
The increase in China’s activities has led some Western commentators to question their implications. A report by the US State Department’s International Security Advisory Board in 2016 said China’s pursuit of energy resources in the Arctic conflicted with multinational efforts to protect the environment and limit the effects of climate change.
The United States is one of eight Arctic states together with Russia, Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
The White Paper, said Associate Professor Li Mingjiang of the S.
