Perspective from China’s International Cooperation in the Framework of the Polar Silk Road
2021/03/31
abstract
Adaptation to the challenges emerging from the changing Arctic is an
important component of future Arctic governance. Evidence of the impacts
of climate change abounds in the Arctic—and rebounds around the world.
This includes observations about the relationship between ice melting in
the Arctic and extreme weather events at lower latitudes, as well as how
changes in the duration and extent of Arctic sea ice cover are transforming
global trading patterns. Given the global impacts reverberating from
climate change, collective actions and a synergy of adaptation strategies
are needed. As one of the world’s major economies and as an investor in
the Arctic infrastructure network, what impact will China’s engagement in
the Arctic impose on the balance of economic activities and environmental
protections in the Arctic, and on efforts to build resilience at both the Arctic
regional level as well as at the global level? This question will be important
both to Chinese policy makers and to the international community, now
and in the years to come.