Sino-Russian Joint Construction Of Polar Silk Road:Opportunities,Obstacles,and Suggestions

Global warming and the development of new technologies unlocks the potential for the construction of alternative maritime corridors through the Arctic,and also the extracting of Arctics raw materials.Russia being an important member of the Arctic Council and one of the most experienced countries in the development of the Arctic is an important partner for China,the second-biggest economy in the world.Both countries if grasped this opportunity for cooperation in the development of the Arctic could benefit from it.Nowadays,Russia and China have already started several energy and infrastructure projects under the Polar Silk Road initiative.However,due to harsh Arctic climatic conditions,fragile Arctic environment,and overall complexity of the project,such development possesses the following obstacles: the environmental challenges,shortage of human resources in the Arctic zone,and the lack of construction funds in Russia.The study firstly gives an overview of the status of the joint construction of the Polar Silk Road,then researches the opportunities and obstacles that this initiative can bring to China and Russia through the analysis of the existing literature and important official documents.Then,based on this analysis gives suggestions and policies necessary to overcome the difficulties and take maximum advantage of the opportunities from the joint construction of the Polar Silk Road.The study concludes that we should expect more intense cooperation between China and Russia in the future.