JRL NEWSWATCH: “There Is No Arctic Axis; Russia and China’s partnership in the north is primarily driven by business, not politics.” – Foreign Policy/ Elizabeth Buchanan

Arctic Map

“… [C]ommercial realpolitik is at the heart of [Russia and China’s Arctic] engagement. … [even as it] navigates existing fault lines, such as Beijing’s failure to acknowledge Russia’s annexation of Crimea and Moscow’s nonalignment in the … India-China conflict. … [R]egional cooperation is due to … shared interest[s] in maintaining domestic stability. Long-term economic development ventures and the viability of non-Western multilateral bodies, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, are critical for their shared vision of world order. … Russia and China have a strategic interest in … [Arctic] resource[s] … but most known oil and natural gas deposits fall within … exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of … Arctic-rim states …. China has set its sights on the international waters of the Arctic Ocean, which it sees as global commons. … underpin[ning] Beijing’s Arctic identity project: On this basis, China considers itself a ‘near-Arctic’ state. … File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.govChina and Russia do have a natural affinity in terms of energy security. Beijing’s energy appetite is insatiable, and it is committed to an import diversification strategy from Africa to the Arctic. Climate change … making Russia’s Northern Sea Route easier to navigate year-round[] offer[s] Beijing access to Russian Arctic resources – primarily liquefied natural gas … quicker and cheaper than other transport corridors. …”

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