Canada's military sent a ship to monitor our country's Xuelong 2 research vessel in the Bering Strait, and there are also reconnaissance planes in the sky. However, the Canadian Department of Defense denied that this was monitoring China's research vessel. With the United States wanting to occupy Greenland, the competition in the Arctic is becoming increasingly intense. China has legitimate rights in the Arctic. In 1925, the Beiyang government of Duan Qirui signed the Svalbard Treaty led by France, allowing Chinese official institutions and citizens to freely enter the Arctic Circle.
Unfortunately, the Arctic Circle is indeed quite far from our country, located thousands of kilometers away.
The existence of an Arctic research station allows us to freely land in the Arctic region for scientific research and travel. However, due to insufficient development in the Arctic region, there are very few tourists. But since we have this Svalbard Treaty, we have retained the right to continue conducting Arctic research.
Of course, dozens of other countries also have this right, so this is the reality. The signing of this agreement by the Beiyang government was a coincidence, but it was also an opportunity under various conditions, which can be said to allow us to obtain sufficient rights today. This is also worth being happy about.
Currently, the Arctic shipping routes are the most important, because global climate change has become irreversible, and the Arctic shipping route will eventually open up. In the future, the shipping route from China's eastern coastal areas or northeastern regions to Europe may directly pass through the Arctic waters.
At least within the next three to five decades, if the Arctic continues to warm, the Arctic shipping route will definitely open up. Mainly because the Arctic shipping route is shorter and more convenient, it can reduce the time by half, making it another important supplement to the China-Europe railway.
Because currently, when we go to Europe by sea, we can only go south through the Malacca Strait, then through the Suez Canal to Europe. It involves going around half the world, slow speed, long time, which is the biggest constraint. If the Arctic shipping route opens up, it will be of great significance for us.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838608445424647/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.