Unlocking the Arctic: China-Russia’s ‘Global Arctic’ Concept

The Arctic’s geopolitical landscape has changed significantly due to the Russia–Ukraine conflict, with Sweden and Finland moving from non-alignment to seeking NATO membership. This NATO expansion has sparked strong opposition from Russia, escalating tensions in the Arctic from a demilitarised zone to a competitive arena between NATO and Russia. The implications for China–Russia collaboration in the Arctic are complex and need to be analysed within the current geopolitical context. NATO members often view China and Russia as threats, leading to a poor reading and analysis of their partnership. Although economic sanctions on Russia by NATO have hindered China–Russia Arctic initiatives, NATO’s growth has prompted Russia to forge alliances with non-Arctic nations, aligning with China’s ambitions in Arctic governance, thus strengthening China-Russia cooperation in the region, as part of the “Global Arctic Concept”. (see featured report)

The “Global Arctic” concept is a novel approach to China-Russia Arctic collaboration, which includes enhancing the regional ties between the revitalisation of Northeast China and the advancement of Russia’s Far East, intensifying the connectivity of the China-Russia network. It relies on the vertical route of the “Land and Ice Silk Road” and the horizontal route of the “Belt and Road Initiative”. The goal is to establish an international transportation network that links land and sea across the Eurasian continent and extends northward to the Arctic Ocean, as well as to create a China-Russia “Global Arctic” platform for information and cultural exchange.

China is pivotal in Arctic research and development. As an observer in the Arctic Council, China’s dedication to sustainable development in the Arctic is well described in The White Paper: “China’s Arctic Policy” (2018), where it declared itself to be a “Near-Arctic State”. Reportedly, China is making significant investments in polar infrastructure and scientific research facilities, making the synergy of Russian military strength and Chinese economic ambitions a twofold challenge to Western supremacy in the Arctic. In 2013, Xi Jinping introduced China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an initiative which aims to create interconnectivity throughout the Eurasian continent, mainly linking China to Europe. Since its inception, the project has broadened its scope to encompass other parts of the world, including the Arctic region. The Arctic was officially incorporated into the Belt and Road Initiative upon the release of a document, titled “Vision for Maritime Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (2017)”. China’s aspirations and actions in the Arctic are certainly a topic of debate, with analysts from seven Arctic nations (Russia’s views being excluded) frequently portraying Chinese investments in a confrontational manner, using the usual alarmist rhetoric to characterise the scale, scope, and potential risks of Chinese involvement.

Today, the mainstream media narrative spearheaded by the usual suspects, including the BBC, pushes for the militarisation of the Arctic, coincidentaly promottig films like “Arming the Arctic” by David Baillie, or by simply depicting China’s investment influx in the Arctic as a strategy to enhance its sway over Arctic nations through “debt-trap diplomacy”, often leaving the public with little to no evidence to substantiate their claim. Furthermore, the issue of NATO’s expansion is deliberately overlooked to prevent delving into the motivations for Russia’s military buildup along its Arctic borders.

The New Cold War: NATO Eyes the Arctic But is the Ice Not Melting? | UK Column News
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On Jun 23, 2025, the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs published a report, titled “Cutting Through Narratives on Chinese Arctic Investments,” which maps Chinese investments and the actual (and ongoing) level of Chinese ownership in the Circumpolar Arctic, methodicaly separating proposed investments from actual investments.

DOCUMENT: “Cutting Through Narratives on Chinese Arctic Investments” from the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Source: Belfer Center)
Cutting Through Narratives on Chinese Arctic Investments

Logically, the report concludes that the Chinese government and its organisations do have ambitious plans for Arctic investment; however, it warns:

“Distinguishing between investments that pose a security risk and those that are benign and desirable remains challenging and can be a source of debate and division. Sometimes Chinese companies may be the only actors with the capital, competence, interest, and willingness to make an economic investment that would otherwise not be realised. Arctic states should continue to balance considerations of national interest connected to potential risk, potential economic benefits, and societal support before deciding to allow, limit, or reject investments”. (Belfer Centre)

 As the tension in the Arctic rises, the question is not just whether ships will use the Northern Sea Route (NSR) or if Russia, the only non-NATO littoral Arctic state, can deliver on its NSR promise, but also under whose rules, and at what cost. The battle for the Arctic, given its geopolitical importance, unexploited natural resources, and notably, its diminishing ice, is definitely on, despite America’s obsession with Russia and China in the Arctic, which has turned into paranoia. It is crucial to understand that other nations such as India, Korea, Japan, and Singapore are also asserting their Arctic interests, which should not be seen as threats, as their involvement can also benefit Arctic peoples, who have long faced poverty and disparities compared to more privileged southern nations. There is no doubt that the growing interest in the Arctic is welcomed by these communities after years of neglect and exploitation. Marine traffic along the Northern Sea Route is projected to rise steadily by 2035, when it is anticipated that the majority of the Arctic Ocean will be ice-free from June to October. Additionally, the Northern Sea Route is the favored path for China’s Polar Silk Road (PSR).

The Polar Silk Road (PSR), borrowed from Russia’s “Silk Road on Ice” concept (2011), is expected to emerge as a new shipping and trading transit route connecting China and Europe via the Arctic, in contrast to the conventional path that goes through the Strait of Malacca, the Indian Ocean, and the Suez Canal. If it comes to fruition, the PSR would offer a shorter distance than the traditional route, and likely less expensive…

IMAGE: China’s research icebreaker Xuelong arrives at the roadstead off the Zhongshan station in Antarctica, Dec. 1, 2018 (Source: Xinhua News Agency) 

REPORT: China Ocean Development Research Centre features an excerpt from “A New Concept of Sino-Russian Arctic Cooperation from the Perspective of the ‘Global Arctic“… (originally published in “Theoretical Circles”, Issue 3, 2025)

The Sino-Russian Arctic Cooperation Concept for the “Global Arctic”
(Translated from Chinese to English using DeepL)

The “Global Arctic” provides China and Russia with a more reasonable and effective identity, strengthens the trust mechanism for their Arctic cooperation, and strengthens partnerships with other “Global Arctic” countries, which is conducive to deepening practical cooperation between China and Russia in the Arctic.

1. Connecting the Northeast-Far East region to deepen China-Russia Arctic cooperation

Russia’s Far East is an Arctic region, and its economic development has long lagged behind that of Russia’s European region. At present, Russia intends to expand large-scale development in the Far East by deepening international cooperation in the Arctic. In particular, Russia’s new round of Far East development will shift the overall national strategy eastward, which coincides with China’s decision to “build a new high ground for China’s opening up to the north. ” The “Global Arctic” can further deepen the interactive influence between China, especially the Northeast China bordering Russia, and the Arctic, and form an optimal solution for Sino-Russian land cooperation based on the strategies of both China and Russia, that is, to deepen the regional connection between the Far East development and the revitalization of Northeast China. Among them, as the core countries of the “Global Arctic”, China and Russia can give priority to the development of Sino-Russian Arctic economic and cultural cooperation based on the consensus of the “Global Arctic”.

At the same time, the Northeast region will also break through the traditional inward-looking economic development model, open up economic cooperation with the Russian Far East and gradually extend northward to the Arctic. In the future, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning will fully develop economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges with Russian Far East cities in the fields of agriculture, energy trade, manufacturing and the construction of the New Land-Sea Corridor in Northeast China, thereby enhancing China’s connection with the “Global Arctic” and safeguarding its national identity as a “Global Arctic” in the process of dynamic updating.

Among them, although the traditional investment model can obtain low-cost energy, it is easy for China to face economic risks in the Sino-Russian energy trade. Therefore, as a former heavy industrial base, Northeast China, especially resource-depleted cities such as Hegang, Benxi, and Daqing, should actively adjust their investment models and rely on their manufacturing technology to achieve urban transformation and upgrading. In addition, the level of agricultural development in Russia’s Far East is not enough to maximise the use of land resources, while Northeast China, as China’s granary, has advanced agricultural production technology. By increasing investment in Russian agricultural raw materials and technologies and importing deep-processed products, the value chain of Sino-Russian agricultural cooperation will be extended, thereby deepening the connection density between China and Russia in the “Global Arctic” world national connection network. Moreover, with its unique land-sea intersection advantage, Dalian is expected to become the Chinese starting point of the “Ice Silk Road” and connect the transportation network nodes of those “Global Arctic” countries that cannot be connected through land borders.

2. Jointly build a “Land-Ice Silk Road” to connect the vertical “Global Arctic” countries

At present, China-Russia energy trade mainly relies on land transportation, and the scale of maritime trade is relatively small. The countries of the “Global Arctic” are spread across Europe, Asia, Africa, etc. Although these countries have achieved interconnection in their respective intercontinental networks, their respective networks based on geo-economics are weakly connected to each other, and it is difficult to achieve extensive connectivity only by land transportation networks. It is urgent to build a land-sea transport channel. The “Global Arctic” is centered on the Arctic region, and the channel construction of China-Russia Arctic cooperation can also be carried out based on the integrity of the “Global Arctic”. The specific path starts from China, passes through Japan and South Korea in Asia, extends to the Russian Arctic region, and further connects to Europe and even the American States to the west.

Looking at the course of Sino-Russian Arctic cooperation, in 2017, Russia proposed to build the “Ice Silk Road” with China. Although the Arctic route has not yet been fully developed, China and Russia have reached an agreement in 2024 to establish the “China-Russia Arctic Waterway Cooperation Subcommittee” under the framework of the Prime Ministers’ Regular Meeting Committee mechanism, aiming to accelerate the large-scale navigation of the Arctic route. On this basis, the “Land Ice Silk Road” came into being. As an extension of the “Ice Silk Road” initiative, it emphasises the balance and coordinated development of land and sea, and more comprehensively fits the overall grasp of the “Global Arctic” countries. The core of the ” Land Ice Silk Road ” is to explore a channel that originates from land and extends to the Arctic through land and sea transportation. As a transnational river connecting the Eurasian continent from north to south, the Irtysh River-Obi River fully explains the geopolitical value of China and Russia jointly building the “Land Ice Silk Road” with its inland shipping value.

The “Land and Ice Silk Road” plan uses the Irtysh River-Obi River as the north-south axis, connecting the “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the “Ice Silk Road” from the longitude direction of the “Global Arctic”. On the one hand, it is conducive to overcoming the inherent limitations of the “Ice Silk Road” through multimodal transport, forming a water transport network that cooperates with the Arctic route, achieving vertical coverage of the transportation network, and deepening exchanges between Asia and Europe’s “Global Arctic” countries. On the other hand, the reconstruction of the two-river waterway will strengthen the comprehensive cooperation of the “Global Arctic” countries, especially promoting political communication and cultural mutual trust between China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia in the north-south range.

3. Building a horizontal “Global Arctic” international transportation network based on the “Belt and Road”

In order to widely connect the “Global Arctic” countries, especially the West Asia, South Asia and African countries not covered by the “Land Ice Silk Road”, it is necessary to build horizontal transport channels and interweave them to form a comprehensive international transportation network.

The “Ice Silk Road” is the extension of the “Belt and Road” in the Arctic region. As a Chinese initiative advocating regional connectivity, the “Belt and Road” has achieved remarkable results. Its connection covers six continents, including Asia and Europe, which partially overlaps with the scope of the “Global Arctic” countries. China and Russia can further rely on the framework of the “Belt and Road” to build an east-west international transportation channel that reflects China’s initiative, and spread the results of cooperation to the “Belt and Road” co-construction countries through cultural promotion and economic and trade cooperation, so as to enhance the relevance of the co-construction countries with the Arctic region, and hopefully include the co-construction countries in the “Global Arctic” in the process of dynamic updating. At the same time, the influence of China-Russia Arctic cooperation can be used to attract “Global Arctic” countries to join the “Belt and Road” initiative and avoid Western misunderstandings of China-Russia Arctic cooperation.

Specifically, the “Global Arctic” concept will build two transportation channels to the west and south with China and Russia as the core of the network. First, the land road and rail transportation network will extend to Central Asia, West Asia, and even Europe, and focus on international transportation railway projects in the eastern regions of China, Russia, and Mongolia to promote trade and cultural exchanges between China, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe. Second, the output will be sold to countries with lower economic levels such as South Asia and Africa through the maritime shipping network to extend the manufacturing and agricultural economic cooperation industrial chain between China and Russia, obtain economic benefits, and deepen the regional connection with the “Global Arctic” countries in South Asia and Africa, so that the results of China-Russia Arctic cooperation will benefit the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road region.

4. Build a China-Russia information civilisation exchange platform

The scope of the “Global Arctic” is adjusted based on the dynamic changes in data such as the economy, environment and cultural exchanges of various countries. Therefore, it is necessary to build a widely recognised platform to realise the release of data and information and cultural exchanges among the “Global Arctic” countries. At present, the information and cultural exchanges between China and Russia are concentrated in the field of joint scientific research in the Arctic, especially in the field of marine science and technology cooperation. These scientific research activities provide data support for the dynamic adjustment of the scope of the “Global Arctic” and provide a scientific basis for the joint construction of the “Ice Silk Road”. However, the current Arctic civilisation exchanges are still mainly limited to the academic elite level, lacking knowledge exchange and innovation and entrepreneurship support platforms for non-professionals and the general public. The weak trust mechanism at the local level between China and Russia also limits the potential for economic cooperation between the two sides in the Arctic.

Therefore, in order to comprehensively deepen Sino-Russian Arctic cultural exchanges and cooperation, as the core countries of the “Global Arctic”, China and Russia should set a model of cooperation for other countries, jointly build a diversified and inclusive exchange platform with the “Global Arctic” as the axis, covering economy, environment and civilization, promote the popularization of knowledge and the collision of innovative thinking among non-academic talents, and thus strengthen the recognition and participation of local communities in the “Global Arctic” and Sino-Russian Arctic cooperation. The platform can be constructed as a comprehensive system integrating cultural tourism promotion, innovation and entrepreneurship cooperation, Arctic knowledge sharing and other multi-dimensional integration. Specific measures may include: promoting public publicity of the unique tourism resources of the two countries through transnational art performances; providing non-scientific research talents with knowledge sharing mechanisms and learning resources such as Arctic hydrological environment, so as to realize the sharing of educational resources among a wider group; drawing on the work experience of the China-Russia Young Entrepreneurs Association, providing database sharing services for entrepreneurial innovation cooperation. Finally, this open and shared community model will be spread to other regions of the “Global Arctic” to expand the scope and influence of the “Global Arctic” countries.

The “Global Arctic” goes beyond the traditional concept of the Arctic based on geographical location, and is holistic and dynamic. The “Global Arctic” builds a comprehensive transportation network and information platform for Sino-Russian Arctic cooperation, and promotes the close connection between China, Russia and the “Global Arctic” countries in the political, economic, information and cultural fields. In the future, as the interaction between the Arctic and the world continues to deepen, the “Global Arctic” national network will be dynamically adjusted, and at the same time, a close relationship network connecting the east and the west and the north and the south will be formed among the “Global Arctic” countries.

(Source: Excerpted from “A New Concept of Sino-Russian Arctic Cooperation from the Perspective of the ‘Global Arctic’”, originally published in “Theoretical Circles” Issue 3, 2025)

Author: Li Zhenfu, Professor of School of Transportation Engineering, Dalian Maritime University; Wang Qun, Master of School of Transportation Engineering, Dalian Maritime University; Qi Xinli, PhD of School of Transportation Engineering, Dalian Maritime University

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