Squaring the Arctic Circle

After years of persistent efforts, China has finally joined the international "club" which decides the rules for the Arctic region. At the Arctic Council's eighth ministerial meeting - held in Kiruna, Sweden, on May 15 - China was granted observer status, which is seen as a victory for China's geopolitical diplomacy in issues such as polar research and cooperation, and the Arctic's sustainable development in the light of climate change.

Established in 1996, the Arctic Council has eight member states - the United States, Russia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Initially, the council acted as a high-level intergovernmental forum to address the issues faced by the governments and peoples of the countries in the Arctic region. But climate change - and the resultant fear of the Arctic becoming ice-free in the near future - has made resource development, trade and shipping in the Arctic region matters of even greater strategic importance. As a result, many countries, and governmental and non-governmental organizations now hope to join the council.

Before its eighth ministerial meeting, the council had only a few European countries and non-governmental organizations as observers, while China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, India, the European Union, Italy and Greenpeace had applied for similar status. The council's decision to make China - along with India, Singapore, Italy, Japan and the ROK - as observers is in line with the interests of both Beijing and its trade partners in the Arctic region. Besides, the observer status in the Arctic Council will help China play a greater role as a responsible global power.