China and Russia agree to deepen cooperation on Arctic shipping route

China and Russia are stepping up efforts to develop Arctic shipping routes amid growing geopolitical tensions between both countries and the West.

The two nations had reached consensus on the mechanism and goals of a subcommittee on cooperation on the Northern Sea Route – which spans 5,600km (3,500 miles) from the Barents Sea near Scandinavia to the Bering Strait near Alaska – China’s Transport Ministry said on Tuesday.

The subcommittee met for the first time on Monday in Saint Petersburg, with Transport Minister Liu Wei heading the Chinese delegation and Alexey Likhachev, the chief of Russia’s state-owned atomic energy conglomerate Rosatom, leading the Russian one.

“The Chinese side is willing to work with Russia to fully leverage the role of the mechanism, enhance the shipping capacity of the Arctic area, ensure sailing safety of the region, and promote new progress in polar vessel construction,” said Liu, who was appointed transport minister this month.

Likhachev said Rosatom, which Moscow has tasked with developing the Northern Sea Route, looked forward to deepening cooperation with the Chinese side in areas including Arctic shipping, sailing safety and vessel technology.

The subcommittee, established in August, is a dialogue mechanism linked to the annual meetings between the heads of the Chinese and Russian governments.