For the first time, China has established a scheduled shipping route through the Arctic. NPR's Michel Martin asks Marc Lanteigne of the Arctic University of Norway why that matters. For the first time, there is a regular cargo shipping route through the Arctic.
Cargo ships have occasionally navigated along Russia's northern coast, but they usually need icebreakers as escorts. Now, climate change and melting sea ice mean a company based in China can take that path through the summer months. I'm going to ask Marc Lanteigne about this.
He's a professor at the Arctic University of Norway, where he researches the politics of the polar region and China. MARC LANTEIGNE: Good morning. MARTIN: Set the scene for us briefly, if you would.
And how do ships navigate it? LANTEIGNE: Well, this route runs from Northeast Asia to Northern Europe, following the Siberian coast. So it's a route that Russia and China have been trying to develop for future Arctic shipping.
MARTIN: So why is China so interested in this? LANTEIGNE: China's interested because it is trying to open up new markets, including in Europe and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere. And using this particular route will cut a significant amount of time, as much as two weeks off traditional routes, like, for example, through the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean.
MARTIN: And it's my understanding that Western nations don't use this path. LANTEIGNE: You're absolutely right, and there's two reasons for this. First of all, because the route primarily goes through Russian waters, there would be significant geopolitical problems in using the route.
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