The Arctic Council ministerial meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, closed on May 20th. Although they agreed on sustainable development in the Arctic Circle, we cannot overlook the fact that there are gaps in the claims of each country, such as the utilization of the  North Pole Sea Route. The conflict between the United States and Russia is fierce over the Arctic Circle, but China is also aiming for hegemony. I will take up the history of China, which has launched a strategy for 30 years, in two parts. (Photo taken from Yahoo image, Arctic Ocean)

China embarked on polar exploration in 1993 when it purchased the world's largest icebreaker, the Snow Dragon, from Ukraine, in line with the rise of China's economic power. In July 2004, it advanced under the pretext of research, such as setting up China's first Arctic observation base in the Svalbard Islands of Norway.

It was during the Hu Jintao administration that China's approach to international politics took shape while embarking on observational surveys in the Arctic and Antarctica. In April 2012, when Prime Minister Wen JiaBao (then) traveled to four European countries (Iceland, Sweden, Germany, and Poland), he provided financial support to Europe, which was ostensibly struggling to respond to the financial and debt crises. Although it was to be extended, it is said that the purpose was actually to solidify the foothold for the development of underground resources in the Arctic Circle and the North Pole Sea Route, which are attracting attention due to climate change.

It was Iceland that China aimed at. In 2010, before Prime Minister Wen visited, Iceland signed a currency swap agreement with China in the financial crisis after the Lehman Shock. Then, in April 2012, it signed the first free trade agreement (FTA) with China in European countries. It was a visit to Prime Minister Wen after making a groundbreaking call for financial support. Wen is said to have met with then-Prime Minister Sigurdardottir of Iceland and urged her to encourage Chinese observers to join the Arctic Council. It was the first time for the Chinese Prime Minister to visit Iceland since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Looking back on the political situation at that time, the international community, including Norway and the United States, was blaming China for human rights issues against Nobel Peace Prize-winning Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo. In order to participate in the Arctic Council as an observer, unanimous approval of the member states was required, so a head-on approach would hinder human rights issues, and China decided that participation would not be allowed. So China hit it out.

In May 2012, the State Oceanic Administration of China invited Finland's Arctic Ambassador to Beijing and agreed to order the design of China's second icebreaker from a Finnish company, as well as the Arctic Ambassador of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was reported that the ambassador was invited to hold discussions on the Arctic issue.

All of these countries are members of the Arctic Council. It is undeniable that China aimed at it. The Arctic Council was established in 1996 as an intergovernmental council that exchanges views with indigenous communities on the development and environmental protection of the Arctic Ocean. It consists of eight countries and indigenous groups, including the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark (Greenland Autonomous Region), Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. Japan, China, India, South Korea, etc. have observer qualifications. The secretariat is located in Tromso (Norway).

Probably because of the success of China's rooting, the Arctic Council held in Kiruna in northern Sweden in May 2013, and six countries including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Italy, and Singapore were recognized as observers (※ Japan was promoted from a temporary observer to a permanent observer at that time).

China, which has become an observer, takes immediate action. In August 2013, China Ocean Shipping Group (COSCO), a major Chinese state-owned shipping company, was the first Chinese merchant ship to travel from Dalian Port in Liaoning Province to Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands using the North Pole Sea Route. 

In September of the same year, Xue Long successfully sailed without passing through Russia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). At that time, China did not pay tolls and did not use the Russian icebreaker. By using the North Pole Sea Route, the number of navigation days between Hamburg in Germany and Yokohama in Japan can be shortened by about 40% compared to via the Suez Canal, which goes southward.

If sea ice melts in the Arctic Ocean due to the effects of global warming, is the coastal waters defined as inland waters, or is it possible to regulate the navigation of foreign vessels passing through those waters? This was highlighted at that time.

It took over the Hu Jintao administration and Xi Jinping administration has embraced the ambition of the Arctic hegemony,which will further promote the politics. (To be continued)

Jiro Arihara

Journalist based in Tokyo.

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