‘Arctic ambition’: 3 Chinese icebreakers forge polar presence and unity with Russia

Recent agreements, including between Xi and Putin, seek China-Russia collaboration on shipping routes, research and tech in the region

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China has sent three icebreakers, including the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di (pictured) to the Arctic amid agreements with Russia to work together on several issues in the region. Photo: SYSU

Published: 8:59pm, 5 Sep 2024Updated: 9:59pm, 5 Sep 2024

China’s decision to send three icebreakers to the Arctic is a “clear signal” of the growing importance it is putting on cooperation with Russia against Nato presence in the polar region, a US analyst said.

Since July, China sent its three icebreakers to the Arctic Sea for the first time, according to Newsweek, which cited open-source ship tracking data based on the automatic identification system (AIS) vessel tracker.

One of the ships, the Xue Long 2, left Qingdao in the eastern province of Shandong on July 5, where it transited the Bering Sea to enter the Arctic Ocean between July 13 and 17 before arriving in Murmansk, a port city in northern Russia.

The ship left Murmansk on August 30 and is now in the Barents Sea, according to MarineTraffic, an open-source tracking website.

02:02

Chinese scientists conduct ‘crucial’ expedition in the Arctic Ocean

Another Chinese icebreaker, the Ji Di, left Qingdao on August 6 and is sailing through Arctic waters near the border between Russia’s Chukchi Peninsula and the northwest coast of Alaska. The ship, reportedly China’s next-generation icebreaker, was delivered in June.