https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5202-8684
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ABSTRACT
In the past decades, climate change has been affecting the reduction of ice coverage in the Arctic Ocean and thus providing opportunities for the development of commercial navigation. Many countries are becoming increasingly interested in the exploration of opening maritime routes. Initiating the Polar Silk Road (PSR), China aims at the diversification of its trade routes and linking the markets of Asia and Europe within a network of transport and economic corridors. The initiative requires improvement of navigational safety and passability of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and other major lanes in the Arctic seas. In this paper, the authors discuss how China may collaborate with Russia to ensure the development of secure navigable deep-water shipping routes in the Arctic and to partner in the engineering and construction of large-tonnage tankers and icebreakers. The paper presents an overview of the current condition of the shipbuilding industry in Russia in relation to the construction of vessels and marine equipment in such segments as icebreaking, transport, port, and dredging fleet. The authors conclude with a summary of the existing technological, engineering, and economic obstacles and opportunities for China in the light of the establishment of navigable maritime routes in the Arctic Ocean.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
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28. Xinhua, Vision for Maritime Cooperation.
29. Kobzeva, China’s Arctic Policy, 95; Lim, China’s Arctic Policy, 421.
30. State Council of the People’s Republic of China, China’s Arctic Policy, part IV, article 3.
31. State Council of the People’s Republic of China, China’s Arctic Policy, part IV, article 3.1.
32. Liu and Dong, Legal Issues; Xu, China’s Arctic Interests, 56.
33. Górski, Northern Sea Route, 292.
34. Government of the Russian Federation, Federal Law #155, article 14.
35. Government of the Russian Federation, Federal Law #132, article 2.
36. Government of the Russian Federation, Commercial Maritime Code, article 5.1.
37. Sergunin and Konyshev, Russia in the Arctic, 81.
38. Erokhin and Gao, Northern Sea Route, 156.
39. United Nations, United Nations Convention, article 38.2.
40. Ibid, article 38.1.
41. Ibid, article 36.
42. Trenin, Russia and China in the Arctic.
43. Gao and Erokhin, China-Russia Collaboration, 431.
44. Gudev, New Risks, 78.
45. Trenin, Russia and China in the Arctic.
46. Leonov, Cooperation of Russia and China, 13; Trenin, Russia and China in the Arctic; Flake, Russia and China in the Arctic, 681.
47. Faulconbridge, Russian Navy Boss.
48. TASS, Shoigu.
49. Zvezda, Defence of National Interests.
50. Sun, The Northern Sea Route, 6; Feng, Conceptual Dividends, 93.
51. Authors’ development based on CHNL, Statistics.
52. Feng, Conceptual Dividends, 75.
53. Hong, China’s Interests in the Arctic, 8.
54. State Council of the People’s Republic of China, China’s Arctic Policy, part III, article 2.
55. Wu, How the Communist Party Controls; Moe and Stokke, China and Arctic Shipping, 267.
56. Connelly, China’s Arctic Dream.
57. Brzozowski, Norway’s ‘Northernmost Chinatown’.
58. Paris and Chiu, Chinese Shipping Group.
59. CHNL, Statistics; Arctic Today, For Chinese Companies.
60. Erokhin and Gao, Northern Sea Route, 166.
61. Sun, The Northern Sea Route, 10.
62. Gao et al., Assessment, 28.
63. World Maritime News, Putin: Northern Sea Route’s Traffic.
64. Government of the Russian Federation, Strategy.
65. President of the Russian Federation, Decree #164.
66. Government of the Russian Federation, Decree #3120.
67. Ibid.
68. Government of the Russian Federation, Decree #1064.
69. Klimenko, China Competes.
70. Vedeneeva and Kostrinsky, Complete Knock Down Assembly.
71. Erokhin and Gao, Northern Sea Route, 147.
72. State Council of the People’s Republic of China, China’s Arctic Policy, part II.
73. Ibid, part IV, article 1.
74. Ibid, part II.
75. State Council of the People’s Republic of China, China’s Arctic Policy, part IV, article 1.
76. Authors’ development.
77. Lasserre, Arctic Shipping Traffic, 516.
78. Drewniak et al., Geopolitics of Arctic Shipping, 107.
79. TASS, Rosatom.
80. Government of the Russian Federation, Decree #3120.
81. Rosatomflot, Universal Nuclear Icebreaker 22220.
82. TASS, Government.
83. Iceberg, Nuclear Icebreaker Lider.
84. Zhao, Xuelong-2.
85. Government of the Russian Federation, Decree #3120.
86. Middleton, Northern Sea Route.
87. Kryuchkova, The Arctic.
88. NeftCapital, Cost-Effective Oil Price.
89. President of the Russian Federation, Joint Statement.
90. Department of Defence, 2019 DoD Arctic Strategy.
91. Ibid, 6.
92. Ibid.
93. TASS, Experts.
94. Moe and Stokke, Asian Countries, 39.
95. Erokhin et al., Arctic Blue Economic Corridor, 466.