Since Chinese container ships began plying the Northern Sea Route three years ago, the Arctic shipping lane has gained global importance.
Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea later that year disrupted traffic through the Suez Canal – the fastest route between Europe and Asia – in what was the most serious conflict-driven disruption since the Arab-Israeli war nearly six decades earlier.
The 5,600km (3,480-mile) Northern Sea Route spans Russia’s Arctic coast, from the Barents Sea to the Bering Strait.
While it used to be impassable for most of the year, climate change is making it more accessible as the polar ice rapidly melts.
Russian oil and gas projects in the region, along with conflicts and piracy disrupting the Suez Canal, have boosted the appeal of the Arctic as an alternative route for Chinese firms.
It is also key to China’s maritime strategy as the world’s second-largest economy seeks a route free of Western chokepoints to ensure global connectivity in times of conflict or war.