Recommendation 174

As a non-Arctic state, the UK’s influence in the Arctic depends on strong diplomacy and coalition-building, and it should seek to expand co-operation with other observer states on the Arctic Council on matters of shared interest. However, it should do this in a way that does not undermine existing governance structures. In particular, the notion of the primacy of the Arctic states in Arctic governance should be maintained. 142 Cabinet Office, Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a more contested and volatile world (13 March 2023), p 30: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/integrated-review-refresh -2023-responding-to-a-more-contested-and-volatile-world [accessed 1 November 2023]. The Integrated Review Refresh 2023 updated the UK Government’s security, defence, development and foreign policy priorities to reflect changes in the global context since the Integrated Review 2021 . 143 Q 7 (Prof Klaus Dodds) 144 The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China, China’s Arctic Policy (26 January 2018): https://english .www.gov.cn/archive/white_paper/2018/01/26/content_281476026660336.htm [accessed 1 November 2023] 145 ‘China Launches Domestically-Built “Xue Long 2” Icebreaker’, High North News (11 September 2018): https ://www.highnorthnews.com/en/china-launches-domestically-built-xue-long -2-icebreaker [accessed 1 November 2023] 146 Anne Marie Brady, China as a Polar Great Power (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), pp 1–2 147 Q 93 (Dr Gørild Heggelund) 148 Q 93 (Dr Marc Lanteigne) 149 Ibid. 150 Written evidence from Oliver Gordon-Brown and Ella Startt ( ARC0015 ) 151 Q 94 (Dr Marc Lanteigne) 152 Written evidence from the RAND Corporation ( ARC0008 ) 153 Q101 (Dr Marc Lanteigne) 154 Q 48 (Mathieu Boulègue) and Q 70 (Dr Elana Wilson Rowe) 155 ‘How China Targets the Global Fish Supply’, The New York Times (26 September 2022): https://www. nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/26/world/asia/china-fishing-south-america. html [accessed 1 November 2023] 156 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/204655/default/ 157 Written evidence from Nima Khorrami ( ARC0002 ) 158 Q 106 (Captain Anurag Bisen) 159 Q 102 (Dr Marc Lanteigne) 160 Q 97 (Dr Gørild Heggelund) 161 Written evidence from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change ( ARC0013 ). While Chinese vessels have not used the Northern Sea Route since 2022, Russia had relied on one ice-class tanker to deliver Russian oil to China. This August, it granted permission for two unreinforced Russian tankers to navigate the route. See also paragraph 201 in this report. 162 Q 102 (Dr Marc Lanteigne) 163 Q 98 (Dr Marc Lanteigne) 164 Q 76 (Mads Qvist Frederiksen) and RAND Corporation, China’s Strategy and Activities in the Arctic (December 2022), p 17: https://www. rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1282-1-v2.html [accessed 1 November 2023] 165 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees. parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/204655/default/ 166 Q 156 (Angus Lapsley) 167 Q 97 (Dr Marc Lanteigne) 168 Ibid. 169 The current shareholders are Novatek (50.1%), Total (20%), CNPC (20%), and Silk Road Fund (9.9%), see: Yamal LNG, About the Project (2015): http://yamallng.ru/ en/project/about/ [accessed 1 November 2023]. 170 Q 7 (Prof Klaus Dodds) 171 Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development (4 February 2022): http://en.kremlin.ru/supplement/5770 [accessed 1 November 2023] 172 Q 109 (Captain Anurag Bisen) 173 Ibid. 174 ‘Russian Arctic regions strengthen bonds with Beijing’, The Barents Observer (20 September 2023): https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/arctic/2023/09/ russian-arctic-regions-strengthen-bonds-beijing [accessed 1 November 2023] 175 Q 7 (Prof Klaus Dodds) 176 Q 47 (Nick Childs) 177 Q 49 (Mathieu Boulègue) 178 Q 70 (Dr Elana Wilson Rowe) 179 Q 70 (Dr Elana Wilson Rowe); written evidence from Prof Gisele Arruda and Dr Marko Filijović ( ARC0009 ); Naval News, USCG Encounters Russian and Chinese Military Vessels in Bering Sea (27 September 2022): https://www.navalnews .com/naval-news/2022/09/uscg-encounters-russian-and-chinese-military -vessels-in-bering-sea/ [accessed 1 November 2023] 180 ‘FSB signs maritime security cooperation with China in Murmansk’, The Barents Observer (25 April 2023): https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/ 2023/04/fsb-signs-maritime-security-cooperation-china-murmansk [accessed 1 November 2023] 181 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees. parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/204655/default/ 182 Q 156 (Angus Lapsley) 183 Q 109 (Captain Anurag Bisen) 184 Q 29 (Lieutenant Commander Dr John Ash) 185 Q 155 (Angus Lapsley) 186 Written evidence from Cornell Overfield and Dr Joshua Tallis ( ARC0011 ) 187 Q 105 (Dr Aki Tonami) 188 Q 108 (Dr Hyoung Chul Shin) 189 Q 105 (Dr Hyoung Chul Shin) 190 Q 106 (Dr Aki Tonami) 191 Q 107 (Dr Aki Tonami) 192 Q 15 (Prof Klaus Dodds) 193 Written evidence from the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge ( ARC0010 ) 194 Q 105 (Captain Anurag Bisen) 195 Q 108 (Captain Anurag Bisen) 196 Q 105 (Captain Anurag Bisen) 197 Q 107 (Captain Anurag Bisen) 198 Q 109 (Captain Anurag Bisen); written evidence from Nima Khorrami ( ARC0002 ) 199 Q 109 (Captain Anurag Bisen) 200 Written evidence from Nima Khorrami ( ARC0002 ) < Back Next > © Parliamentary copyright 2023 A-Z index Glossary Contact us Freedom of Information Jobs Using this website Copyright Privacy notice Cookie policy Cookie Manager House of Lords - Our friends in the North: UK strategy towards the Arctic - International Relations and Defence Committee Accessibility Email alerts RSS feeds Contact us Home Parliamentary business MPs, Lords & offices About Parliament Get involved Visiting Education House of Commons House of Lords What's on Bills & legislation Committees Publications & records Parliament TV News Topics Our friends in the North: UK strategy towards the Arctic Contents Chapter 4: Prospects and impacts of growing economic activity in the Arctic