In focus: Polar Silk Road: How China is redefining the world order in the Arctic
The Arctic is no longer a remote ice desert—it is becoming a new geopolitical hotspot. The trigger and key driver is global warming, which is having a particularly strong impact in the far north. The melting polar ice is creating entirely new sea routes and opportunities for raw materials – options that China is resolutely pursuing with its “Polar Silk Road.”
China in particular recognizes strategic opportunities in the rapid melting of polar ice, which it is now consistently exploiting:
• Significantly shorter trade routes to Western countries – via the Northeast Passage
• Privileged access to Arctic raw materials – through cooperation with Russia
• Expansion and integration of the “Polar Silk Road” – as part of the Belt and Road Initiative
This strategy is no coincidence, but rather a central element in Xi Jinping's vision of “great changes unseen in a century”: profound global upheavals that China is using to systematically expand its economic strength and geopolitical reach.
Consequence: The Arctic is becoming the new arena for an intense power struggle between China/Russia and the US. This presents major economic opportunities, but also enormous security risks, especially for Europe!
For more information, see the latest analysis from the FERI Cognitive Finance Institute "Kampf um die Arktis: Globaler Wettlauf um Rohstoffe, Macht und strategische Dominanz". It is available in German in the download area on this page.
