Alaska Public Media published an article titled, “China Seeks Bigger Role in Arctic” The article reads in part as follows;
“At its most northern point, China is hundreds of miles from the Arctic Circle, but its leaders want a say in how the region is governed. Recently, the country issued its first national policy on the Arctic, and it reveals its expansive ambitions in the far North.
“China is determined to better know the Arctic, protect the Arctic, utilize the Arctic and participate in the governance of the Arctic,” Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said as the policy was announced, according to China’s official state media.
The policy says China will cooperate with others on development in the region, including new shipping routes it calls a “Polar Silk Road,” after the ancient trade routes connecting China to Europe.
This is the first white paper China has ever issued for a region outside its own territory, said University of Canterbury (New Zealand) Professor Anne-Marie Brady. She said the document demonstrates the country’s growing assertiveness in global affairs.
