Russia and China in the Arctic: Current Status and Prospects for Cooperation

The article provides an assessment of strategic interests of Russia and China in the Arctic. The purpose of the study is to analyze the current state of relations between Russia and China in the Arctic, to determine the prospects for further cooperation. The authors believe that this cooperation should be examined systematically, i.e. from three possible perspectives: economics, politics and society. A significant part of the Russian Federation's territory lies above the Arctic Circle, so its interests in the region have a long history. China positions itself as a “subarctic state”, and its interests in the region have become increasingly manifested over the last decade. In 2017, the countries announced their intentions to promote the alignment of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and the EAEU and to link it with the Northern Sea Route project. Factors contributing to the convergence of the two countries’ interests include: the deterioration of Russia’s relations with the collective West, the increasing role of China in Russia’s foreign economy and politics, and the growth of Russian hydrocarbon exports to China. The article provides examples of successful joint Russian-Chinese projects in the Arctic. The authors note that in the field of mineral extraction, successful joint initiatives include a project to drill two exploration wells in the Okhotsk Sea in the Magadan-1 and Lisyanskiy areas. The authors emphasize that there are no large infrastructure projects in the Russian Federation that are financed by Chinese investors, so the country is interested in Chinese investment for the advancement of infrastructure necessary for the development of the Arctic. Currently, cooperation between Russia and China in many areas is at its peak, and it is expected that the two countries will continue to deepen and diversify their interaction. At the same time, cooperation in the Arctic may become a central aspect of this interaction, as it is equally in the interests of both states.