SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China will build a ‘Polar Silk Road’ and actively participate in the development of Arctic and Antarctic regions, he said in his new ‘five-year plan’ of 2021-2025 published on Friday.
According to the plan, China will “participate in pragmatic cooperation in the North Pole” and “increase its ability to participate in the protection and use of the South Pole”.
China has been monitoring lucrative mineral resources as well as potential new shipping routes in the Arctic regions as icebergs recede due to rising temperatures.
It issued a white paper in 2018 outlining its plans to create new freight routes connecting Asia and Europe via the Northeast, North West and Central Passages of the North Pole, raising concerns about the fragile environment of the region.
Late last year, China also announced plans to launch a new satellite to track shipping routes and monitor changes in sea ice in the North Pole. It plans to launch the satellite in 2022.
Reporting by David Stanway; Edited by Shri Navaratnam