China wants its shipping to use faster Arctic route to Europe opened up by global warming
Changing climate has melted areas of sea ice, allowing shipping to navigate the Northwest Passage in the Arctic Ocean
China will encourage ships flying its flag to take the Northwest Passage via the Arctic Ocean, a route opened up by global warming, to cut travel times between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, a state-run newspaper said on Wednesday.
China is increasingly active in the polar region, becoming one of the biggest mining investors in Greenland and agreeing a free trade deal with Iceland. The Arctic Council admitted emerging powers China and India as observers three years ago.
Chinese shipping firm COSCO plans to launch services to Europe through Arctic Northeast Passage, saving days in travel time
Shorter shipping routes across the Arctic Ocean would save Chinese companies time and money. For example, the journey from Shanghai to Hamburg via the Arctic route is 2,800 nautical miles shorter than going by the Suez canal.
Once this route is commonly used, it will directly change global maritime transport and have a profound influence on international trade
China’s Maritime Safety Administration this month released a 356-page guide in Chinese offering detailed route guidance from the northern coast of North America to the northern Pacific, the China Daily said.
“Once this route is commonly used, it will directly change global maritime transport and have a profound influence on international trade, the world economy, capital flow and resource exploitation,” spokesman Liu Pengfei was quoted as saying.
Chinese ships will sail through the Northwest Passage “in the future”, Liu added, without giving a time frame.
