This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler Xi's world – Will China control the future?
Jan 29, 2026
Elizabeth Economy, political scientist and Hoover Institution fellow, explains how China is pushing into frontier domains from the Arctic and deep seabed to space and the internet. She outlines Beijing’s strategic use of commerce, rule-making and technology. Short, sharp takes on rare earths, renminbi ambitions, Taiwan risks and China’s internal limits.
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China's Arctic Shipping Debut
- A Chinese cargo ship, the Istanbul Bridge, made a direct commercial transit from China to Felixstowe, UK, via the Arctic without stopovers.
- Elizabeth Economy explains China uses such commercial transits to gain footholds in the Arctic despite being only an observer to the Arctic Council.
Strengthen Arctic Presence Now
- Watch Arctic investments and Russia-China ties as indicators of strategic access and influence.
- Policymakers should bolster Arctic presence and scientific/military capabilities to counter Chinese inroads.
Frontier Domains Strategy
- Xi frames the Arctic, deep seabed and space as 'frontier domains' where China seeks to rewrite rules and gain resources and security advantages.
- China uses membership and licenses at bodies like the International Seabed Authority to press for accelerated deep-seabed mining despite environmental unknowns.