The current state and prospects of the Russia-China bilateral cooperation in the Arctic

Abstract

The authors examine Russia’s and China’s Arctic policies and analyze the current state and the prospects of the Russia-China interaction in the Arctic region. Beginning from around the mid-2010s, Russia and China have substantially stepped up their mutually beneficial interaction in the Arctic, with the Yamal LNG and Artcic LNG-2 projects being the main material results of this partnership. One of the factors pushing Russia for closer Arctic cooperation with China has been continued deterioration of Moscow’s relations with the West. That China has shown willingness to respect Russia’s special rights and interests in the Arctic also plays a role in Moscow’s readiness for closer Arctic cooperation with Beijing. It can be confidently predicted that in the foreseeable future Russo-Chinese collaboration in the Arctic will continue to expand and deepen, reflecting the general trend of the trengthening of Sino-Russian strategic ties. It cannot be ruled out that the Russia-China partnership in the Arctic region will over time acquire some military-political aspects. It is also quite possible that in the next editions of their respective national Arctic doctrines Russia and China will mutually declare each other as privileged partners in the Arctic.