Polar Silk Road

China said it would encourage enterprises to build infrastructure and conduct commercial trial voyages, paving the way for Arctic shipping routes that would form a "Polar Silk Road". China on Friday outlined its ambitions develop shipping lanes opened up by global warming in the Arctic, extending President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road Initiative that India opposes due to its route through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.  

Releasing its first official Arctic policy white paper, China said it would encourage enterprises to build infrastructure and conduct commercial trial voyages, paving the way for Arctic shipping routes that would form a "Polar Silk Road". China, despite being a non-Arctic state, is increasingly active in the polar region and became an observer member of the Arctic Council in 2013.

Among its increasing interests in the region is its major stake in Russia's Yamal liquefied natural gas project which is expected to supply China with four million tonnes of LNG a year, according to the state-run China Daily, NDTV cites a Reuters report. 

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road (Belt and Road Initiative), an important cooperation initiative of China, will bring opportunities for parties concerned to jointly build a "Polar Silk Road," and facilitate connectivity and sustainable economic and social development of the Arctic, the white paper noted. China vowed to participate in Arctic affairs in accordance with the basic principles of "respect, cooperation, win-win results and sustainability." 

"While pursuing its own interests, China will pay due regard to the interests of other countries and the broader international community," it said. Being committed to the existing framework of international law and rules, China would like to build and maintain "a just, reasonable and well-organized Arctic governance system."

China will also regulate and manage Arctic-related affairs and activities within its jurisdiction in accordance with the law, enhance its ability to understand, protect and develop the Arctic, and participate in international cooperation in Arctic affairs.  

The land territories in the Arctic cover an area of about 8 million square km, whose sovereignty belongs to Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States, while the Arctic Ocean has an area of more than 12 million square km, in which coastal and other countries share maritime rights and interests according to international law, according to Xinhuanet.com