The Competing Strategic Visions of Russia and China in the Arctic
As the thawing of the Arctic has increased its geopolitical prominence and potential economic viability, Russia and China have emerged as major players in the future of the region.
The Sino-Russian State of Play in the Arctic
Russia’s involvement in the Arctic and interest in the Northern Sea Route perhaps goes without saying, with over 24,000 miles of coastline above the Arctic circle, and a centuries-long history in the region. Russia has two primary economic interests in the Arctic. First, Russia is in a prime position to exploit the region’s oil and natural gas.
The Road From Competition to Cooperation
Russia has long been particularly concerned with exercising control over a broadly defined physical sphere of influence. Classically explained as a response to centuries of invasion, this has manifested recently with adventures from the Donbass to the Kuril Islands.
Future Challenges to the Relationship
Despite the undeniably closer ties between Russia and China since 2014, mutual interests are evolving that may lead to shifts in the balance of their relationship. As Yun Sun, a China expert at the Stimson Center, points out, the «Polar Silk Road» may have been coined by the Chinese, but the idea originated from a Russian invitation to jointly develop the NSR as early as 2015. Sun states that while both sides share reasons to develop the NSR, it is more of an economic priority for Russia than for China, which gives China more leverage to shape the results.
China Charting Its Own Course
Even as Beijing and Moscow routinely boast about their high levels of cooperation, the former is taking steps to diversify its options by investing in indigenous capabilities and pursuing bilateral cooperation beyond Moscow.
Following closely on the heels of the Xuelong 2, in June 2018, Beijing commissioned plans to build its first nuclear icebreaker.
This article was written by Ling Guo and Steven Lloyd Wilson
To read the full article, please click on the following link: https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/china-russia-and-arctic-geopolitics/
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