SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China will build a “Polar Silk Road” and actively participate in the development of the Arctic and Antarctic regions, the country said in its new “five-year plan” 2021-2025 published on Friday.
The plan said that China “would participate in pragmatic cooperation at the North Pole” and “increase its ability to participate in the protection and use of the South Pole”.
China is eyeing lucrative mineral resources, as well as potential new shipping routes in the Arctic regions, as polar ice caps decrease as a result of rising temperatures.
She released a white paper in 2018 highlighting her plans to create new freight routes connecting Asia and Europe through the passages of the Northeast, Northwest and Central Arctic, raising concerns about the region’s fragile environment.
At the end of last year, China also announced plans to launch a new satellite to track navigation routes and monitor changes in sea ice in the Arctic. He plans to launch the satellite in 2022.
Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Shri Navaratnam