The Circumpolar Podcast - China and Arctic Law

In this episode of The Circumpolar, Serafima Andreeva speaks with Iselin Stensdal about China and Arctic law. Photo: Serafima Andreeva

The Circumpolar is a podcast on Arctic geopolitics, governance, and security. Created and hosted by Serafima Andreeva, and supported by The Arctic Institute and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. The podcast brings together leading experts from various fields of Arctic geopolitics and many Arctic and non-Arctic states to unpack key developments, challenge common misconceptions, and discuss the current dynamics of todays changing Arctic.

Why China plays by the rules in the Arctic (or China and Arctic law)

China has no Arctic territory, calls itself a near-Arctic state, and has worked its way into almost every legal regime in the region. Dr Iselin Stensdal talks about international law as China’s way in. The conversation covers the Law of the Sea and the Northern Sea Route, the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement, the Svalbard Treaty, research rights at Ny-Ålesund, and why China keeps playing by the rules. The closing argument: the Arctic may matter far less to Beijing than the headlines suggest.