The Barents Institute at the University of Tromsø The Arctic University of Norway, in partnership with the Barents Spektakel and the Sør-Varanger kommune

Present A Seminar on The Arctic in Asia and Asia in the Arctic: China in focus

Asian engagement in the Arctic has increased exponentially since Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, and India were accepted as Observers to the Arctic Council in 2013. Indeed, for many of the Asian Observers, the Arctic presents a territory of varying and multiple concerns and interests. From the impact of ice melt on Asian cities, to scientific cooperation on climate change and ocean resources, to the Arctic as the current and potential source for much needed energy, and a commercial imperative driven by the anticipated opening up of the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage, Asia has expressed the Arctic’s significance to their international and domestic interests. All of these are important foci for rich research questions for researchers and academics, as well as potential business development possibilities, and partnerships between the Arctic and Asia.

This brief seminar attempts to elucidate some of these key themes specifically in China’s position on the Arctic, and the Arctic’s interests in China.

Start at 13:30

Mayor Rune Rafaelsen
Title to be confirmed

Dr Klaus Dodds
“‘China night’: China, the Arctic-Asia region and the changing shape and feel of polar orientalism’

Ekaterina Mikhailova
‘Fears and hopes in cities on the Sino-Russian border over time’

Dr Fujio Ohnishi
“China’s Arctic policy: international relations implications”

Dr Aileen A. Espiritu
“Lessons from the Barents Sea delimitation: China and the South China Sea.”

Dr Chih Yuan Woon
“A Polar Silk Road? Framing China’s Arctic Interests in the Context of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’”

17:20-17:40
Question period