Chinese Arctic Ventures: A new threat to climate change vulnerabilities

China’s policies and actions towards the Arctic have grown in recent years. These have culminated with the acceptance of China as an Observer to the Arctic Council in 2013, but, even more importantly, with the adoption of the first ever Chinese Arctic government policy paper in 2018.

The white paper stresses China’s commitment to upholding the institutional and legal framework for Arctic governance and to respecting the sovereign rights of the Arctic states. On the other hand, it asserts...