The Arctic consists mainly of the Arctic Ocean, which is covered by vast ice sheets, and a circle of tundra that surrounds it. In recent years, with the global warming of the climate, as well as the continuous development of economic globalization and regional integration, the value of the Arctic in terms of strategy, economy, scientific research, environmental protection, waterways, resources and other aspects has been continuously improved.
In 2013, China became an official observer state of the Arctic Council. In July 2017, the leaders of China and Russia met and reached a political consensus on cooperation in the Northern Sea Route and jointly building the "Ice Silk Road". However, China's participation in Arctic affairs and Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic region have been speculated and over-interpreted by some countries.
Vladimir Federevich Becherica, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and professor of the Department of Political Science of the Far Eastern Federal University, is a well-known professor of political science. In August 2021, he again addressed China and the Arctic issue in his new book, Understanding the Arctic in World Politics and International Relations.
In a recent exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Questions", Becherica said that the rising China's participation in Arctic affairs is conducive to the governance and development of the Arctic and to regional peace and stability. The "Arctic China threat theory" proposed by Western countries is actually a concrete projection of the complex psychology of obstructing China's development and worrying about the "Sino-Russian alliance" in the Arctic region.
Data map: On July 20, 2017, 96 members of China's eighth Arctic scientific expedition set sail from the dock of the Chinese polar expedition domestic base in Shanghai on the "Xuelong" to carry out the Arctic scientific expedition mission. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fang Zhe
The interview transcript is summarized below:
China News Service: How does the current international law stipulate the rights of all countries to the Arctic? As a non-Arctic country, does China have the right to participate in Arctic affairs?
Becherica: There is no single international treaty of uniform application in Arctic affairs, which is regulated by international treaties such as the Charter of the United Nations, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Treaty of Spitsbergen and general international law. The United States, Canada, Norway, Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Sweden are Arctic countries, and the territorial sovereignty of the Arctic continent and islands belongs to these eight countries.
Countries outside the Arctic do not enjoy territorial sovereignty in the Arctic, but in accordance with international treaties such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and general international law, they enjoy the rights of scientific research, navigation, overflight, fishing, laying of submarine cables and pipelines in the high seas of the Arctic Ocean and other seas, and the rights of resource exploration and exploitation in the international seabed area. In addition, States parties to the Spitsbergen Treaty have the right to free access to a specific area of the Arctic and to the right to carry out scientific research and engage in productive and commercial activities in that particular area on an equal footing in accordance with the law.
China acceded to the Spitsbergen Treaty in 1925, but its substantive involvement in arctic affairs began only after the 1990s. As a geopolitical near-Arctic country, China's Arctic affairs are mainly concentrated in "cooperative" and "non-exclusive" fields such as scientific investigation, environmental protection, energy and resource development, and waterway development and utilization. As China has said, China has demonstrated the principle of "no absence, no offside" in Arctic affairs.
China News Service: What impact will China's participation in Arctic affairs have on the Arctic region? With Russia as the rotating chair of the Arctic Council this year, what will it bring to the Arctic?
Becherica: China is a stakeholder in Arctic affairs, and Arctic affairs cannot be separated from China's participation. On the one hand, the natural conditions of the Arctic and its changes have a direct impact on China's climate system and ecological environment, which in turn is related to China's economic interests in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, marine and other fields; at the same time, the Arctic sea route is the shortest sea route connecting the three major economic circles of Northeast Asia, Europe and North America, occupying an important position in the global trading system, and China cannot but participate in Arctic affairs. On the other hand, as one of the largest near-Arctic countries, China's own climate ecology and economic activities are also closely related to the Arctic ecological environment and economic activities.
Russia is the largest country in the Arctic, and the development of the Arctic has become one of Russia's priority directions. Russia, like other Arctic countries, wants to use its geopolitical advantages to achieve its national interests by developing the Arctic. In fact, the main markets for products after the development of Arctic resources are outside the Arctic, especially in Europe and East Asia.
Russia will promote the application of environmental protection technologies in industry, energy and other fields this year, while increasing investment in the Arctic region, developing Arctic transportation and infrastructure construction, especially focusing on the construction of Arctic shipping routes, making it one of the most important shipping routes in the world. In the Arctic, the implementation of the project is costly and technically difficult, which also provides new opportunities for Chinese enterprises to participate in cooperation.
China News Service: At present, how is the cooperation between China and Russia in the Arctic region?
Becherica: Cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic region has already begun and has accelerated in recent years, which is inseparable from the wishes of the leaders of the two countries. In recent years, the leaders of the two countries have repeatedly expressed their will and achieved fruitful results on Arctic cooperation on many occasions.
The first is the joint expedition. In 2016 and 2018, Russia and China conducted two joint scientific expeditions, which provided basic data support for assessing the marine environment, bioecology and climate evolution of the Arctic Ocean.
The second is resource development. The two countries successfully implemented the Yamal project in the Arctic region. This is a large-scale upstream investment and development project integrating natural gas extraction, processing, liquefaction and marketing, and shipping, which can be called a model for the two countries to develop resources in the Arctic region.
The third is waterway transport. The two sides have a deeper foundation in shipping. Russia is open to international cooperation on the Northern Sea Route (Arctic Northeast Sea Route), and China is an important partner. In recent years, 15 ships of COSCO SHIPPING Group have completed 19 voyages of navigation missions in the Arctic sea route.
The fourth is infrastructure construction. Chinese companies have been deeply involved in the construction of polar infrastructure such as bases, roads, railways, airports and ports in the Yamal project.
It can be said that the cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic is completely mutually beneficial and does not pose any threat to other countries. The development of the two countries in the Arctic will first benefit the local population. The Yamal project alone has created tens of thousands of jobs in the local area and initially improved the local living standards. Therefore, China should participate in Arctic cooperation, especially with Russia.
Arctic affairs are not only a matter for Arctic countries, but also involve national interests outside the Arctic and the interests of the international community as a whole, and are related to the common destiny of human survival and development, which has global significance and international influence. The participation of a rising China in Arctic affairs contributes to arctic governance and development, regional peace and stability.
China News Service: In April this year, the US media hyped up Russia's military presence in the Arctic, saying that satellite images showed that Russia was strengthening its military and testing the latest weapons in the Arctic. Is there any military significance in the Arctic? Why do Western countries care so much about China's participation in Arctic affairs and Sino-Russian Arctic cooperation?
Becherica: Like other regions, the Arctic naturally has military implications. In this regard, Russia's attitude is clear and does not want the militarization of the Arctic. Russia is in favour of dialogue among the countries of the Arctic region and is ready to maintain multilateral contacts in the military field to reduce potential risks.
In fact, while the United States plays up the Russian threat, it strengthens its military presence in the Arctic region itself. In January, the U.S. Navy released the "Blue Arctic" strategic plan, which sets out joint operations between the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard over the next two decades, aiming to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic and expand its military presence in the Arctic; at the same time, the U.S. Army will invest $109 million to procure various types of polar combat vehicles from 2022 to 2025; and the U.S. Coast Guard also launched the construction of a new icebreaker this year, which is expected to be delivered in 2024.
In addition, the United States has also encouraged the United Kingdom, Norway and other NATO member countries to strengthen their military presence in the Arctic region, and has held many joint military exercises involving surface ships such as aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, and strategic bombers are also cruising over the Arctic Ocean.
The "Basic Policy of the Arctic State of the Russian Federation before 2035" signed by Russian President Putin clearly mentioned that Russia's military deployment in the Arctic region is mainly aimed at the national security challenges facing Russia and protects the important industrial facilities and economic interests of Russia in the Arctic region from being damaged.
At the same time, it is strange for Western countries to be concerned about China's involvement in Arctic affairs. Because in dealing with global problems in the Arctic, the international community shares a common destiny, and China's participation in them is the proper meaning. The legitimacy of China's involvement in Arctic affairs has been resisted by the West as an attempt to seize Arctic resources and expand its influence internationally. The West's perception of Russia and China forming a "military alliance" in the Arctic is even more outrageous, china has no military presence in the Arctic, and Russia's military strength in the Arctic is limited to responding to threats. Therefore, the concerns of Western countries about Russia and China in the Arctic are actually a concrete projection of the complex psychology of obstructing China's development and worrying about the "Russian-Chinese alliance" in the Arctic region.
Respondent Profiles:
Vladimir Federevich Becheritsa, born in 1948, is currently a professor at the Faculty of Political Science of the Russian Far Eastern Federal University and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 1996, it was included in the "Who's Who of Russian Political Science" by the Russian State Social Science Foundation, and is known as the "Father of Political Science in the Far East". He has served as the editorial board of many authoritative Russian political science journals, published a large number of academic papers, and has conducted in-depth research on China and the Arctic for many years.
Original title: Things Ask | Becherica: China is not an Arctic country, so why is it involved in Arctic affairs?
Source: China News Service Wang Xiujun
Column Editor-in-Chief: Gu Wanquan Text Editor: Li Linwei Title Image Source: Xinhua News Agency Photo Editor: Shao Jing
Source: Author: China News Service