On January 26, 2018, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kong Xuanyou unveiled “China’s Arctic Policy.” The country’s self-classification as a Near-Arctic State is an important step in the region’s development, and when combined with other objectives indicates rising Chinese ambitions in Arctic affairs. How does a Polar Silk Road align with the more expansive Belt and Road Initiative? What opportunities and risks does China’s aspirations in the Arctic present for the U.S., the region, and the globe?
In this Ground Truth Briefing, five regional experts will discuss China’s emerging Arctic presence.
Introduction:
The Honorable Jane Harman
Director, President, and CEO, Wilson Center
Speakers:
Anne-Marie Brady
Wilson Center Global Fellow, and Professor, University of Canterbury and Executive Editor, The Polar Journal
Ambassador David Balton
Wilson Center Global Fellow, former U.S. Ambassador, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Robert Daly
Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, Wilson Center, and former Director of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies
Captain Lawson Brigham (USCG ret.)
Distinguished Professor of Geography and Arctic Policy, International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Moderator:
Mike Sfraga
Director, Polar Initiative, Wilson Center