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China backed to play larger role in Arctic
China is receiving more support to take part in Arctic affairs, as Norway reiterated Monday its favor of China being an observer of the Arctic Council, Reuters reported.
At a conference on "Arctic Frontiers" in northern Norway, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told Reuters that Oslo favored granting China an observer role at meetings of the Arctic Council, which groups the US, Russia, Canada and the five Nordic countries.
China-Norway relations hit a low after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, an imprisoned criminal convicted of breaking Chinese law, on December 10.
"We are still at a political low. We are not pushing agendas at the moment; we have to take note of China's reaction," Reuters quoted Stoere as saying Monday. "A lot of economic activity is going on, a lot of trade" between the two, despite the deadlock.
Stoere said the melting of Arctic sea ice, linked to global warming, was generating interest from China and other Asian countries in potential opportunities, including a shipping route between the Pacific and the Atlantic.
"Every regional dimension that is linked to transport has a global impact," he said, according to Reuters. "We need to find the right channels ... to talk, to cooperate with China. Norway favors China being an observer of the Arctic Council."
Beijing first took part in the Council's ministerial meeting in Tromsø, Norway, in 2007 and applied for an observer status then. So far, China has not been granted this permission.
China has set up its first and only Arctic scientific research base, Yellow River Station, on Svalbard Island of Norway in 2004.
Qu Tanzhou, director of the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, has said China needs to increase scientific research and expeditions to better comprehend the Arctic Ocean and global climate change, since it has been lagging behind some countries in this regard.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in a report in March that the prospect of the Arctic being navigable during summer months had driven Beijing to allocate more funds for polar research.
It added that taking the northern route through an ice-free Arctic could shorten the trip from Shanghai to Hamburg by 6,400 kilometers, while avoiding the route through the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal.
The European Commission is also interested in becoming a full-time observer within the Arctic Council. But Russia has been among countries reluctant to let in observers, Reuters said.
China backed to play larger role in Arctic - GlobalTimes
China is receiving more support to take part in Arctic affairs, as Norway reiterated Monday its favor of China being an observer of the Arctic Council, Reuters reported.
At a conference on "Arctic Frontiers" in northern Norway, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told Reuters that Oslo favored granting China an observer role at meetings of the Arctic Council, which groups the US, Russia, Canada and the five Nordic countries.
China-Norway relations hit a low after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, an imprisoned criminal convicted of breaking Chinese law, on December 10.
"We are still at a political low. We are not pushing agendas at the moment; we have to take note of China's reaction," Reuters quoted Stoere as saying Monday. "A lot of economic activity is going on, a lot of trade" between the two, despite the deadlock.
Stoere said the melting of Arctic sea ice, linked to global warming, was generating interest from China and other Asian countries in potential opportunities, including a shipping route between the Pacific and the Atlantic.
"Every regional dimension that is linked to transport has a global impact," he said, according to Reuters. "We need to find the right channels ... to talk, to cooperate with China. Norway favors China being an observer of the Arctic Council."
Beijing first took part in the Council's ministerial meeting in Tromsø, Norway, in 2007 and applied for an observer status then. So far, China has not been granted this permission.
China has set up its first and only Arctic scientific research base, Yellow River Station, on Svalbard Island of Norway in 2004.
Qu Tanzhou, director of the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, has said China needs to increase scientific research and expeditions to better comprehend the Arctic Ocean and global climate change, since it has been lagging behind some countries in this regard.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in a report in March that the prospect of the Arctic being navigable during summer months had driven Beijing to allocate more funds for polar research.
It added that taking the northern route through an ice-free Arctic could shorten the trip from Shanghai to Hamburg by 6,400 kilometers, while avoiding the route through the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal.
The European Commission is also interested in becoming a full-time observer within the Arctic Council. But Russia has been among countries reluctant to let in observers, Reuters said.
China backed to play larger role in Arctic - GlobalTimes
