Polar Silk Road – China and Arctic

The Finland-China Business Association has the pleasure to invite its members and partners to the webinar Polar Silk Road - China and Arctic with Prof Matti Nojonen.

Date: Tue, June 27, 2023
Time: 10-11 (Finnish time), 9-10 CET
Mode: Microsoft Teams

Chinese interest and expansion to the Arctic region have received a lot of attention. As a part of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has also launched a Polar Silk Road initiative and acts as an observatory member of the multilateral Arctic Council. Beijing has also expressed its interest to the Arctic region by defining itself to be "a near Arctic state". Chinese investments to the Arctic region have raised a lot of concern, despite investments being rather modest thus far. 

It appears that Beijing is playing a long-term strategy in the Arctic region with a focus on developing a Northern sea-route to Europe and gaining access to Russian energy and raw materials without forgetting the obvious hard-security aspect of being able to operate in the Arctic sea region. Russia has been the key player in unfolding this strategy. However, Moscow has so far been rather reluctant to accept Chinese investments in the Arctic region.

The Ukrainian war and consequent sanctions on Russia are drastically changing the dynamics between Russia and China, and eventually given the current trajectories it will favor and possibly enhance Chinese access to the Arctic region. Consequently, making China one of the biggest players in the Arctic region that possesses wast untapped resources and logistical possibilities.

A Teams link will be sent to those registered closer to the date.

Please register to the event on 26.6.2023 the latest. 

Agenda:             

Opening – Timo Helosuo

Polar Silk Road - China and Arctic – Matti Nojonen

Closing remarks – Timo Helosuo

Matti Nojonen is a Professor of Chinese culture and society at University of Lapland, Finland. Nojonen has a Ph.D. from Helsinki School of Economics and Masters in Sinology from Stockholm University and has been working for a decade in Chinese key Universities. Nojonen’s research interests are traditional Chinese political philosophy, traditional and contemporary Chinese strategic culture, and on contemporary issues such as; Chinese Arctic policies and direct and indirect impact of Chinese overseas direct investments.

Nojonen has a keen interest in traditional Chinese strategic thinking and has published an annotated and comparative translation into Finnish language of Han and Song-dynasty editions of Sunzi’s Art of War and an analytical translation into Finnish language of sixty four Chinese strategy classics (Art of Stratagem). Both books were published by Helsinki University Gaudeamus Press. Nojonen is currently working on comparing provincial level BRI policies, Chinese Arctic policies and a book project “The Art of Strategem - role of concepts in Chinese (traditional) strategic thinking”. Email address: matti.nojonen@ulapland.fi