Why is China going polar? Understanding engagement and implications for the Arctic and Antarctica

• Main Authors: Ferreira-Pereira, Laura C., Duarte, Paulo Afonso Brardo, Santos, Natacha
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Palgrave Macmillan 2023
• Subjects: China; Arctic; Antarctica; 21st Century Maritime Silk Road; Belt and Road Initiative; Polar Politics; Ciências Sociais::Ciências Políticas; South Pole; Antarc*; Arctic Council; South pole
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/83777; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-6700-9_46

In a context of globalization of world economy, environmental change and progressive blurring of traditional borders, the Arctic and Antarctica have witnessed growing geopolitical competition. While in recent years, developments in the Arctic regarding geopolitics and governance-related issues, and energy resources management have been subject to academic enquiry, the same cannot be said regarding Antarctica. This chapter attempts to fill this gap by providing a comparative study focusing on China’s engagement of in the North and South Poles and its implications. It argues that China’s stance in the Arctic has been largely conditioned by the regional governance dynamics structured around the Arctic Council, whilst in Antarctica this country has attempted to explore the absence of both coastal states and more regulated interstate relations to carve for itself an advantageous position with the post-2048 South Pole governance perspectives in view. The authors acknowledge that this study was conducted at the Research Center in Political Science (UIDB/CPO/00758/ 2020), University of Minho/University of Évora, and that it was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science, through national funds