Battle Lines Conquering the Arctic: How China and Russia are joining forces
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Oct 27, 2025 This discussion features Caroline Kennedy-Pipe, a military historian, and Dr. Elizabeth Buchanan, a polar geopolitics expert. They dive deep into the strategic maneuvers of Russia and China in the Arctic as melting ice opens new trade routes. The guests debate the implications of rapid Sino-Russian cooperation and NATO's response to this shifting power dynamic. They also explore the potential militarization of these regions, including China's scientific initiatives that blur the lines between research and military applications.
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Arctic Shifting From Regional To Global Commons
- The melting Arctic opens routes and resources, inviting non-Arctic powers like China to contest traditional Arctic ownership.
- This shift reframes the Arctic from an Arctic-8 domain to a potential global commons with competing access claims.
Asia Joins The Arctic Trade Push
- The Russia–China partnership in the Arctic has accelerated into a durable, not merely convenient, alignment.
- Asian states like South Korea and India now actively plan to use the Northeast Passage for faster trade.
Russia Guards The Northern Sea Route Jealously
- Russia asserts and enforces its Northern Sea Route rights, treating the passage as strategic lifeblood tied to Arctic exploitation.
- The UK insists on freedom of navigation while acknowledging Russia's legal Arctic rights.