Evolution of the Scientific Agenda in China’s Arctic Policy

This article examines the process of shaping China’s scientific agenda in the Arctic. In the 1990s-2000s, the Chinese academic community focused its efforts on laying the foundations of scientific activities in the Arctic, including the development of research programs, recruiting staff and expedition teams, building the infrastructure of research institutions, and improving public administration and logistics. In the mid-2000s and early 2010s, Arctic scientific research and observation became a higher priority than Antarctic activities within the framework of China’s polar policy. In particular, China became actively involved in the international scientific community’s activities in the Arctic, including the organisation of the 4th International Polar Year through the implementation of the Chinese Action Plan for 2007–2009. During the period under review, Beijing has sought to convert its “scientific contribution” to Arctic exploration into a resource for international political self-positioning (as a “strong polar power”) and to strengthen the case for China’s application for observer status in the Arctic Council. At the same time, China is becoming actively involved in the institutionalization of international scientific organizations of non-Arctic states, such as the Asian Forum for Polar Sciences and the Pacific Arctic Group. In the 2010s, Chinese scientific activity in the Arctic expanded. Against the backdrop of the growing importance of China’s new economic policy direction and the investment activity of Chinese businesses in the Arctic, the scientific aspect is gradually moving into the background. Following China’s granting of observer status in the Arctic Council in May 2013, Chinese research institutes have become involved in the scientific and expert activities of the Arctic Council’s working groups. At the same time, the regulatory framework for the scientific dimension of China’s Arctic policy is being improved, as it is being developed as an integral part of China’s policy in the polar regions and on the “four new strategic frontier”.