Finding “Win-Win” China’s Arctic Policy and What It Means for Canada /

Underlying these specific priorities is an ever-present and overarching theme of respect and participation: respect for China’s interests in the Arctic and for the involvement of non-Arctic states in the region’s development and governance. [...] The message to Canada and the other Arctic states is clear: China perceives a real interest in Arctic activity, it intends to play a role in the region and it expects to be treated as a partner in those activities. [...] China, proclaims the policy, seeks to “safeguard and promote peace and stability in, and the sustainable development of, the Arctic.” In the process, Beijing pledges to “protect (the Arctic’s) unique natural environment and ecological system, promote its own climatic, environmental and ecological resilience, and respect its diverse social culture and the historical traditions of the indigenous peo [...] These laws apply to many of China’s Arctic interests, such as “scientific research, navigation, overflight, fishing, the laying of submarine cables and pipelines in the high seas and other relevant sea areas in the Arctic Ocean, and rights to resource exploration and exploitation in the Area.” China is willing to play by these rules primarily because they offer Beijing the essence of what it wants [...] The continuous failure to build the necessary maritime infrastructure and advance the resource projects needed to create jobs and lower the cost of living in the region can largely be attributed to the difficulty accessing the region and the high costs of Arctic operations — which can be 250-per-cent higher than comparable southern projects (Mining Association of Canada et.