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Arctic Yearbook 2013
China‘s Arctic Interests
China is ―one of the countries most vulnerable to the adverse impact of climate change‖ (The
National Development and Reform Commission, 2012: 2). Due to climate-related extreme weather
and natural disasters, 430 million people were affected and economic losses of 309.6 billion yuan
were caused in 2011 alone (Ibid.). Climate change also poses a serious risk to food security in China.
Because of impacts on sea levels and agriculture, for example, ―China is greatly influenced by climate
and environmental changes in the North Pole‖ (
China Daily
, 2012, February 1). Therefore, the
Chinese are eager to learn more about linkages between Arctic climate change, China‘s agriculture,
and extreme weather and floods in China. In addition, the issue of climate change is also considered
uncontroversial enough to build up partnership with the Arctic states. In contrast to sensitive issues
such as sovereignty and resource exploitation, a number of Chinese scholars have recommended
that China focus on climate change in its Arctic policies (Jakobson & Peng, 2012: 16).
In addition to polar regions, other cryospheres, regions which are covered in ice and snow, are
affected by climate change faster and more dramatically than in other regions on Earth. The future
of the Himalayan cryosphere, also known as the ―third pole‖, is a key concern in the greater
Himalayan region, which includes India, China, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and neighbouring
countries. The melting of Himalayan glaciers poses a dramatic human security threat in the region as
millions of people are dependent on the Himalayan water sources. Like ice melting in the Arctic,
glacier melting in the Himalayas will also raise sea levels significantly. As Iceland President Ólafur
Ragnar Grímsson pointed out in April of 2013, ―the Arctic, the Himalayas and Antarctica (AHA) are
not isolated and separate parts of the globe…‖ and that, on the contrary, ―…their fate and fate of
the people and future are closely connected‖ (Grímsson, 2013).
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In international climate politics, China plays an important, though contradictory, role. On the one
hand, it is a developing country in which millions of people still live in poverty; on the other hand,
due to poor energy efficiency and the intensive use of coal, it has become the world‘s biggest emitter
of carbon dioxide. In addition, as a leader of the developing world, China also has an important role
in setting the tone for other emerging powers, namely the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, and
China) countries, and more broadly, for all developing countries‘ arguments in international
negotiations on climate change. China‘s serious commitment in global efforts to tackle climate
change has also become an important precondition for the United States‘ entry to UN climate
negotiations. Looking forward, China‘s role in international climate politics will be crucial in the
future. The continuation of ―business as usual‖ in China would result in a 2.7° C rise in global
temperatures by 2050 – even if all the other countries in the world achieved an 80% reduction in
their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Watts, 2009). However, it should be noted that GHG
emissions per citizen are significantly lower in China than in developed countries, and a significant
proportion of China‘s emissions are actually ―offshore emissions‖ caused by manufacturing goods
exported to Western consumers (Wang and Watson, 2007).
Although international climate agreements do not obligate China to cut its emissions, the Chinese
government has implemented important policies towards moderating the future growth of the
country‘s greenhouse gas emissions and to promote sustainable development. For example, China's
latest Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) pledges to cut energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16% by