Who owns the North Pole? - A "Polar Silk Road"

It has been a long while since this blog returned to this once regular feature bt the issue of the Arctic has not gone away.

China now describes itself as a "near-Arctic state".

"The Arctic situation now goes beyond its original inter-Arctic States or regional nature, having a vital bearing on the interests of States outside the region and the interests of the international community as a whole, as well as on the survival, the development, and the shared future for mankind," a Chinese white paper said.

China wants to make sure its point of view is reflected in the region, through involvement in Arctic governance and by shaping its agenda. China wants to be included in economic benefits here, that is the reason for their involvement even if they do not possess legitimate geographical reasons to be considered a member of the region. China is able to provide financing for Arctic countries, their activities, and expeditions.

The country entered into joint ventures with Russian gas companies, it built a large embassy in Iceland, it helped finance the Kouvola-Xi'an train in Finland, it thawed its relations with Norway and it invested into Greenland. The influx of investments is important to Greenland's goal to become less reliant on Denmark. In exchange, China wants access to the mines in Greenland