Ice Silk Road opens up vast Arctic to China and Russia. Western companies aren’t interested.
by Inside China Business [10-21-2025].
China and Russia are opening up new trading routes through the Arctic, saving shipping companies millions of dollars in fuel costs and crew time.
These efforts also mean huge gains in expertise in icebreaking, meteorology, climate research, mapping, and navigation.
The Arctic also contains vast amounts of energy and miners, mostly in the Russian north.
The Ice Silk Route is an important trade artery, providing both Russia and China a sanctions- and blockade-proof channel for energy and manufactured goods.
Western shipping firms believe that the Northern Route, mostly controlled by Russia, is too risky, irrespective of the cost savings or the geostrategic advantages.
Closing scene, Yardang Landform, Gansu
Resources
China launches world’s first Arctic express shipping route to Europe [9-25-2025]
Russia expects 50% rise in Northern Sea Route transits [6-5-2025]
This sea route has been dismissed as too treacherous. China’s taking the risk [10-3-2025]
Why China’s Ice Silk Road has Trump up in Arctic arms [1-13-2025]
Arctic Frontier: Ice Silk Road and Its Role in China's Advance to the Arctic
Unfriendly skies; How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is redrawing air routes [3-4-2022]
The Energy and Mineral Riches of the Arctic [4-6-2026]
Natural resources in the Arctic [6-28-2010]