Foreign Media: Chinese shipping company Sea Legend officially launched the "Ice Silk Road" Arctic route last week, departing from Ningbo, passing through Russia's Northern Sea Route to Felixstowe, UK. The trial voyage in October of last year took only 20 days—significantly shorter than the 40 days required for the Suez Canal route and 50 days for the Cape of Good Hope route.
The route is navigable during summer months and is suitable for transporting temperature-sensitive and time-critical goods such as lithium batteries and photovoltaic products. However, winter ice coverage restricts its year-round operation, and passage requires permission from Russia’s Northern Sea Route Administration. Currently, the route is almost exclusively used by sanctioned Russian shadow fleets.
Analysts point out that this route serves as a supplementary option for China to hedge against risks associated with the Middle East maritime routes. While it is unlikely to fully replace traditional shipping lanes, it will deepen Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic and may intensify geopolitical competition with the United States.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1873851083949056/
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