In Geir Hønneland, Andreas Østhagen and Svein Vigeland Rottem (eds), Handbook of the Politics of the Arctic. Edward ElgarPublishing, 2026, pp. 175-185
This Handbook explores how the Arctic has become a focal point in international relations in a manner unseen since the Cold War. Drawing on perspectives from international law, geopolitics, and other social sciences, this revised and expanded second edition provides an essential account of modern Arctic affairs. The chapter concerns China's inteersts in the Arctic. China's goal for the Arctic has been discussed and debated. What is China trying to achieve in the Arctic? What are its stated policy goals, and are those goals being achieved? How are the broader international conditions and the US–Chinese rivalry affecting China's actions in the Arctic? What about the Ukraine war? Is China genuinely trying to be Russia’s best friend? These are the questions we delve into in this chapter.
