TRANSFORMING SHIPPING ROUTES
The Polar Silk Road aims to link China to Europe via Arctic routes as warming temperatures melt Arctic sea ice.
China and Russia agreed in October to develop the Northern Sea Route (NSR) along Russia’s northern border.
Last year, a Chinese ship reached Britain in 20 days via the Arctic, half the time of the regular Suez Canal route.
The passage could transform global shipping and reduce Chinese reliance on the Straits of Malacca for its trade.
But ships have to be modified to travel through ice, fog makes navigation difficult, and the weather is extreme.
Chinese ships made just 14 NSR voyages last year, mostly carrying Russian gas.
Another possible route – the Northwest Passage – follows the Canadian archipelago, potentially mitigating the risks of a Russian and Chinese-dominated northern passage.
The NSR does not pass by Greenland, so it is not the source for Trump’s claim of Chinese ships prowling the island’s coastline.
Zeuthen maintains there is no sign of Chinese military activity in or around the Arctic part of Greenland.
“Actual security issues are very hard to identify,” he said.