SIIS Hosts the 8th Symposium of the North Pacific Arctic Research Community

2021/12/17

On December 9, 2021, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) successfully hosted the 8th Symposium of the North Pacific Arctic Research Community (NPARC) online.

H.E. Mr. Gao Feng, Special Representative of Arctic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Mr. Young-Gi Hong, Ambassador for Arctic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Dr. Hide Sakaguchi, President of the Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI), the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Dr. Jong Deog Kim, Executive President of Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) delivered speeches. Over 50 participants from KMI, Hokkaido University, Incheon National University, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), Ocean University of China, China Ocean Shipping Group，Harbin Engineering University，Shanghai Ocean University， Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and SIIS attended the symposium.

In his welcome remark, Professor Yang Jian, Vice President of SIIS, introduced said the NPARC, initiated by Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), was founded by universities and research institutes of China, Japan and Korea in 2014. The Shanghai Institutes for International Studies is one of its founding members. It aims to encourage regional interdisciplinary research on emerging challenges and opportunities in the Arctic; to communicate and to share regional research outcomes for capacity building; and to enhance cooperation among members through various mechanisms. Since its foundation, the annual NPARC symposium have been held alternately among the three countries. According to the mechanism, this year’s symposium should be organized by the Chinese side. This symposium hosted by SIIS is the eighth symposium under the NPARC framework.

The symposium consisted of three parts: The keynote presentation session, which was chaired by Professor Natsuhiko Otsuka of the Arctic Research Center of Hokkaido University, was centered on “The Pacific Lens of the Arctic Governance and Cooperation”. The second part, chaired by Dr. Zhang Yao, Director of Center for Marine & Polar Studies of SIIS, was about Russia’s Arctic Development Strategy, Priorities on the Agenda for Russia's Arctic Council Chairmanship and the Outlook for Cooperation between Russia and East Asian Countries. The third part was themed “Future-Oriented Shipping and Technology Cooperation between Russia and East Asian Countries”. Capt. Cai Meijiang, Senior Engineer of China Ocean Shipping Group, Professor Guo Peiqing of Ocean University of China, Professor Gao Tianming, Director of Arctic Blue Economy Research Center, Harbin Engineering University and Professor Erokhin Vasilii, Associate Professor of Arctic Blue Economy Research Center, Harbin Engineering University made presentations on behalf of the Chinese institutes.

Dr. Zhang Yao, Dr. Zhang Pei, Dr. Zhao Long, Dr. Zheng Yingqin, Dr. Xue Chen, Dr. Zhang Qiyue and Ms. Xu Xiaolan participated in the symposium.