SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China will build a “Polar Silk Road” and actively participate in the development of Arctic and Antarctic regions, it said in its new “five-year plan” for 2021-2025 published Friday.
According to the plan, China would “engage in pragmatic cooperation in the Arctic” and “enhance its ability to participate in the protection and use of the South Pole”.
China has been eyeing lucrative mineral resources and potential new shipping routes in Arctic regions as ice sheets recede due to rising temperatures.
It released a white paper in 2018 highlighting its plans to create new freight routes connecting Asia and Europe through the Northeastern, Northwestern and Central Arctic thoroughfares, raising concerns about the region’s fragile environment .
At the end of last year, China also announced plans to launch a new satellite to track shipping lanes and track changes in sea ice in the Arctic. The satellite plans to launch in 2022.
Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Shri Navaratnam