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Strategic Vision vol. 6, no. 35 (October, 2017)
Cold Calculation Beijing eyes Arctic as solution to dwindling resources, risky shipping routes Lu Wen-hao
T
he arctic environment is undergoing dramatic environmental change. According to scientists at the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center, Arctic sea ice reached a record low wintertime maximum extent in 2016. The Arctic Ocean and coastal areas once barren and frozen under a dense sheet of ice are slowly coming to life with industry and commerce brought about by the receding ice conditions. The melting Arctic region not only brings new opportunities for the eight Arctic nations (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States) that ring the North pole and are competing for rich resources, but it also attracts countries which covet its great potential. Furthermore, the receding ice is cre-
ating four additional maritime trade routes, which are the Northern Sea Route (NSR), the Transpolar Sea Route, the once-legendary Northwest Passage, and the Arctic Bridge Route, that will significantly shorten the time and enormously reduce the cost of global maritime shipping.
Observer status Although the northernmost territory of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is at least 14,000 km away from the North Pole, it has been active in the Arctic for many years, conducting climate research and assorted scientific expeditions. In 2013, China was granted observer status in the multilateral Arctic
photo: U.S. Navy Ice Camp Sargo, located in the Arctic Circle, hosts Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2016 and will house more than 200 participants from four nations.
Colonel Wen-hao Lu is an instructor at the ROC War College at the National Defense University. He can be reached for comment at luwenhao73@gmail.com