The Arctic shipping route is essential to safeguard China’s development over the next decade, a senior Chinese official said at a Beijing forum. He warned that traditional trade lanes through the Strait of Malacca, Red Sea and Suez Canal could be disrupted during a major international crisis. China must prioritize expanding its practical use.
At a China News Service forum in Beijing, Ma Jiantang, deputy director of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference’s economic committee, stressed the importance of the Arctic shipping route for China’s development. With proposals for the next five-year plan incorporating security and development, China must ensure its international transport channels remain unimpeded.
Ma, a former head of the National Bureau of Statistics, warned that “in the event of a major international crisis, there is a real possibility these corridors could be disrupted.” He called for better preparation for worst-case scenarios, effectively preventing and mitigating risks to enhance the resilience of China’s economy and society, safeguarding its new development pattern with a new security architecture.
Ma said the Arctic shipping route should be placed “higher on the agenda to support China’s development” over the next 10 years. The forum took place on Tuesday, highlighting China’s strategic concerns over potential disruptions in traditional lanes like the Strait of Malacca, Red Sea and Suez Canal, key routes for trade with Asia and Europe.
The remarks underscore China’s interest in cooperation with Russia on the Northern Sea Route, involving ports in China’s northeastern provinces such as Jilin and Liaoning, including Dalian and Shanghai, and Russia’s Vladivostok.