CHINA-ARCTIC CONFERENCE
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Participating in the third annual Arctic Circle conference in Reykjavík earlier this week, PRC Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Ming referred to China as a ‘near-Arctic’ state, a term which has probably not been used by such a high-ranking official till now. There was also considerable discussion of China’s long history of Arctic interests at least as far back as China’s signing on to the Spitsbergen Treaty in 1925, along with references to China as a ‘mid-latitude’ state and as an ‘Arctic stakeholder’ with growing regional interests. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave a brief address to the conference via video link.
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