In June this year, China and Russia stated in the joint statement on the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Sino Russian Treaty of Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation that, on the basis of mutual benefit and respect for the interests of countries along the route, they should use the North Sea Channel to strengthen cooperation and promote sustainable development in the Arctic. The joint statement provides strong guarantee and support for China and Russia to jointly build the "Ice Silk Road".

The initiative of jointly building the "Ice Silk Road" between China and Russia was put forward at the 2017 China Russia Summit. In January 2018, the Chinese government issued a white paper entitled China's Arctic Policy, which further refined the specific idea of jointly building the "Ice Silk Road", in which it clearly stated that China is willing to work with all parties to build the "Ice Silk Road", bringing cooperation opportunities to promote connectivity and sustainable economic and social development in the Arctic region.

The "ice silk road" refers to a maritime route that crosses the Arctic Circle and connects the three major economic centers of North America, East Asia and Western Europe. It is also an extension of the "the Belt and Road" initiative and a link to promote economic and trade exchanges and cultural exchanges between countries along the route.

The Ice Silk Road Index Report released in January this year shows that, due to the improvement of natural conditions and the gradual improvement of port facilities along the route, the number of ships sailing on the Ice Silk Road has increased significantly, and the activity of navigation in the Northeast Arctic Channel has increased. In the past five years, the total trade volume between China and the countries along the "Ice Silk Road" has shown an upward trend, especially with Russia, which has the closest trade relationship, with the maximum trade volume reaching 633.519 billion US dollars.

In recent years, Russia has attached importance to and increased its investment and development in the Arctic region. At present, the Russian government is formulating and implementing a number of plans to promote the development of the Russian Arctic region, involving infrastructure construction, Arctic waterway transportation, energy development and other aspects. In addition, Russia also vigorously promotes that Siberia and parts of the Far East, when exporting goods to Asia, give priority to shipping via the Arctic Channel. According to the Russian Far East and Arctic Development Ministry, Russia's investment in the Arctic region will reach about 204 billion US dollars in the next five years.

China is geographically a "near Arctic country" and one of the countries closest to the Arctic Circle on land. The white paper of China's Arctic Policy proposes that China advocates building a community with a shared future for mankind, is an active participant, builder and contributor to Arctic affairs, and strives to contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to the development of the Arctic. Since the cargo ship "Yongsheng" under COSCO Shipping Special Transportation Company crossed the Northeast Arctic Channel for the first time in 2013 and became * * Chinese merchant ships that completed the Eurasian route through the Northeast Arctic Channel, more and more Chinese merchant ships have begun to transport goods through the Northeast Arctic Channel. According to the person in charge of COSCO Shipping Special Transportation Company, the greater the deadweight tonnage, the more expensive the market fuel price is, the more significant the benefit contribution of the Northeast Arctic Channel will be.



Alexander Pilyasov, a professor at Moscow State University and an expert on legal affairs in the Arctic region, believes that Russia and China have strong complementarities in developing the Arctic. Russia is well aware of the characteristics of Arctic land and sea resources and natural environment, and China has strong construction and investment capabilities. The two sides have broad prospects for cooperation in building Arctic ports, railways in the Arctic region, communication networks, scientific research, etc.