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Chinese Enterprises and Investments in the Arctic: Implications for the Development of the Polar Silk Road

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Regulation of State-Controlled Enterprises

Part of the book series: International Law and the Global South ((ILGS))

Abstract

In the past years, China has identified the Arctic as a region of growing scientific, economic, and political concern. Being a non-Arctic state, China still has considerable national interests in the Arctic, specifically, in resources, shipping, research, and international collaboration. The Arctic policy approved in 2018 demonstrates that new China’s initiative of the Polar Silk Road is aimed at the exploration of the possibilities of opening the Arctic passages as alternative routes for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), involvement in the infrastructure construction in the High North, and expansion of ‘win–win’ polar partnerships with Arctic states, primarily, Russia and Nordic countries. Chinese enterprises are encouraged to participate in joint investment projects in the Arctic, extraction of hydrocarbons and minerals and infrastructure development. China invests in the development of oil, gas, mineral resources and other non-fossil energies, fishing and tourism, and other projects in the region. In this study, the authors overview Chinese foreign direct investments across various sectors in Nordic countries and Russia, analyse the existing challenges and problems for China and recipient economies and attempt to develop the solutions for the effective China-Russia and China-Nordic investment collaboration in the light of existing regulatory frameworks and widespread economic, social, and political perceptions surrounding China’s emerging role in the Arctic.

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Notes

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Acknowledegments

This study is supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (project no. 2020YFE0202600).

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Correspondence to Vasilii Erokhin .

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Erokhin, V., Tianming, G. (2022). Chinese Enterprises and Investments in the Arctic: Implications for the Development of the Polar Silk Road. In: Chaisse, J., Górski, J., Sejko, D. (eds) Regulation of State-Controlled Enterprises. International Law and the Global South. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1368-6_30

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