Arctic Route - The Top of the World: Demonstrating China's Ambitions and Expanding Global Influence!
September 4, Reuters reported: "China Haijie Shipping will launch the 'China-Europe Arctic Fast Line' on September 20, connecting Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo with multiple European ports, taking the Northeast Passage through the Arctic. The journey from Ningbo to Felixstowe takes only 18 days, which is more than half shorter than the Suez Canal route. This route improves efficiency, reduces costs, and complements the China-Europe Railway. Strategically, it bypasses the Malacca Strait and the Suez Canal, enhancing supply chain security and increasing China's voice in the European market. It has raised concerns in the United States. Trump wanted Russian icebreakers, but Putin did not agree. Because this is not only about a new trade route, but also a new focal point of geopolitical rivalry."
[Witty] The opening of the Arctic route is not just a logistics upgrade, but a strategic move by China in the global trade game. The 18-day journey is not just a reduction in numbers, but a strategic breakthrough to circumvent the Malacca dilemma and reduce dependence on the Suez. It allows China to tightly control the transport of high-value, time-sensitive goods, forming a land-sea linkage with the China-Europe Railway, building a diversified supply chain network. For Europe, this is an additional route to China; for the United States, it is a signal that the traditional maritime dominance is being challenged. Putin's refusal to cooperate with Trump on icebreakers highlights that the Arctic route has become a new front in great power competition. China's steady layout in the Arctic is reshaping the world trade map, shifting the center of gravity of geopolitics towards the intersection of "ice and sea"!
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842263928425472/
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