111
Arctic Yearbook 2013
Kopra
Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide who explained why Norway was in favour
of China‘s permanent observer status
: ―
We want people to join our club. That means they will not
start another club‖ (as cited in Brugård, 2013).
China‟s Interests in the Arctic
For many years, the top priority for the Chinese government has been political, social, and economic
stability at home, and peace in the Asian region. All are important to the continuation of China‘s
economic development, and to the legitimacy of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Generally,
many Western observers have argued that China‘s foreign policy has become more assertive since
2008 (see for example, Swaine, 2010; Swaine, 2011; Pei, 2010).
8
China‘s contemporary, over-all, core
interest doctrine started to evolve under the leadership of President Hu Jintao. In the first round of
the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue in July 2009, Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo
(2009) called on the United States to respect China's core interests, which include safeguarding
China‘s basic systems and national security, maintaining sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well
as ensuring sustained economic and social development.
China‘s fifth generation of leadership came into power in November 2012, and party secretary
general Xi Jinping was nominated as China‘s new president in March 2013. Shortly after his
nomination, Xi introduced his new catch phrase, ―China dream‖ (
中国梦
), which is already
considered the major slogan of his leadership era, albeit its meaning is still being worked out
amongst media, scholars, and internet users. In contrast to the ―American dream‖, which focuses on
individual success, the China dream seems to focus on national glory. According to Xi, ―Realizing
the great renewal of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream for the Chinese nation in modern
history‖ (as cited in
Xinhua
, 2012, November 29). It is still too early to assess whether the new
slogan means that the new leadership will adopt more nationalistic policy approaches. President Hu
Jintao‘s report to the 18
th
CPC National Congress gives the best hint of Chinese foreign policy under
the Xi Jinping era. As Miller (2012: 2) describes, the work report ―is a synthetic document that
reflects the consensus of the broader party leadership‖ and ―sets forth general guidelines for the
party‘s priorities, emphases, and tasks for the coming five-year period until the next congress‖. As an
incoming general secretary, Xi Jinping oversaw the formulation process of the report (Xinhua, 2012,
November 20). Hu (2012) did not mention the Arctic, but, in contrast to earlier reports, took a more
assertive approach to foreign affairs. First, he declared that ―[W]e are firm in our resolve to uphold
China's sovereignty, security and development interests and will never yield to any outside pressure‖.
Second, he promised to protect ―China's interests and the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese
nationals and legal persons overseas‖.
Climate Change
There is strong scientific evidence that climate change is occurring due to human influences, mainly
the increasing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (IPCC, 2007). In the Arctic,
climate change occurs faster and more severely than around most other parts of the Earth (ACIA,
2004). As the Arctic plays a key role in many global natural processes, Arctic climate change will
have tremendous impacts globally, including on China. The Chinese government recognises that