ArcGov

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China in the Arctic: External Influence on Regional Governance (ArcGov)

ArcGov is coordinated by the High North Center for Business and Governance at Nord University in Bodø, Norway, partly funded by the Norwegian Research Council and the High North Center. TAI is focused on the first working package (WP1) of the project, focusing on the International level – the Law of the Sea, International Maritime Organization, and China’s engagement in these areas.

Although China’s presence in the Arctic has been described, the effects of its engagement on Arctic governance have not been studied in depth. The project group, therefore, asks: What, if any, are the influences of China on specific Arctic governance mechanisms? What are the effects of this influence on the same governance institutions? And what implications do these findings have for Arctic governance more broadly? Drawing on theory-based approaches from political and management science, ArcGov studies how a state external to the Arctic influences the effectiveness of governance mechanisms for dealing with specific Arctic challenges.

ArcGov examines Chinese influence on Arctic-related governance mechanisms across three levels, constituting three interdependent work packages: the international; the regional (Arctic); and the national/local (Norway). How does China – as a rising global superpower – influence or try to influence the existing and new governance structures that shape how the Arctic states adapt to and manage rapid environmental, economic and societal change? With its clear policy-relevant orientation, this project will provide new insights into the governance, regionalism, and institutional effectiveness in the Arctic and beyond.

TAI researchers Sanna Kopra, Pavel Devyatkin and Trym Eiterjord are involved in ArcGov and have produced the following research outputs:

The Arctic Institute ArcGov

• Arctic Technopolitics and China’s Reception of the Polar Code
• China and its Arctic Trajectories: The Arctic Institute’s China Series Report 2020
• Science Cooperation with the Snow Dragon: Can the U.S. and China work together on the Arctic Climate Crisis?
• The Ukraine Crisis Is a Major Challenge for China’s Arctic Visions
• Chinese Perspective on the Arctic and its Implication for Nordic Countries
• China and the Arctic: Reflections in 2023
• China’s Polar Silk Road: Long Game or Failed Strategy?
• The Arctic for China’s Green Energy Transition
• Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine: Impacts on China’s Climate Responsibility in the Arctic
• What the 14th Five-Year Plan says about China’s Arctic Interests
• The Arctic in China’s Subnational 14th Five-Year Plans
• Polar Expertise in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan
• China and the Arctic in 2023: Final Remarks

Moreover, TAI Fellows have also produced three more publications – as of November 2022 – published outside The Arctic Institute:

• China and a New Order in the Arctic
• What Does Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Mean for China in the Arctic?
• How a Chinese Sailboat became a microcosm for Arctic Geopolitics